tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988933473707661085.post7585195922824077406..comments2024-03-28T13:15:09.523-07:00Comments on WeAreGifted2: "Hidden Gems: Nurturing the gifts of Native American children & youth"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05849864176753056363noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988933473707661085.post-69421777595748861632012-06-09T19:15:36.410-07:002012-06-09T19:15:36.410-07:00On behalf of Dr. Jaime Castellano, Principal &...On behalf of Dr. Jaime Castellano, Principal & Gifted Education Coordinator Ganado Unified School District (Ganado Indian Reservation) Ganado, Arizona<br /><br />------------<br />Thank you, Jerry, for your continued commitment to serving our gifted and high ability Native American students. They are out there-they exist in every school they attend. Your blog contribution is inciteful and accurate. I would like to share a point that I have been contemplating over the past few days. As a building principal and district coordinator for gifted education serving a student population that is 99% Native American (Navajo) I have attempted to institutionalize practices and procedures across the district. I figure that once I leave or were to transition to another position within the district the gifted program would perpetuate itself based on those institutionalized practices and procedures previously established. I am beginning to realize that despite these efforts quality programs serving gifted and high ability Native American students often rests on the shoulders of one or two advocates who have a keen interest and are passionate about this sub-group of students. How do we change the minds of colleagues to help them understand that transforming a school's academic culture, building capacity, and promoting talent equity includes identifying, assessing, recruiting, and retaining their best students in advanced academic programs? I would love reading your thoughts on the matter.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05849864176753056363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988933473707661085.post-81941585557939954492012-05-09T07:05:11.804-07:002012-05-09T07:05:11.804-07:00Jerry, I just love "Island of the Blue Dolphi...Jerry, I just love "Island of the Blue Dolphins". My son recently read it too, and also enjoyed it. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. One point of importance I often make about diverse learners is sometimes it is useful to look beyond appearances and give the child the benefit of the doubt that he/she is smart, does understand complex concepts and that his/her opinion is important and that I value it highly! This simple precept has helped me cut through differences so I may focus in quickly to enable and empower the child.Melissa Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05467106282582580979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988933473707661085.post-58206527597727500592012-05-07T17:54:13.179-07:002012-05-07T17:54:13.179-07:00"The teachers who form relationships with the..."The teachers who form relationships with these students understand their unique needs and experiences and judge them less harshly than many of their colleagues. Without first building trust and relationships, many teachers never see the real student, the real person they are working with. Many of these students will never feel safe enough to reveal their true identities and thus, their true potential. Establishing relationships and trust is essential and far too many teachers are quick to judge culturally and linguistically diverse students through their own ‘middle-class lenses’. By not realizing they are actually judging the “Mask” and not seeing the real person, the end result is a failure to connect on a meaningful level. This is damaging to students’ self-esteem. By punishing behaviors based on values that conflict with the student’s very struggle for survival in their own socio-economic environments, the relationship gap widens and students feel nudged closer toward exiting systems that don’t value or understand them." <br /><br />This is exactly what I am saying in my book!<br /><br />Thank you Dr. Joy and Mr. Lassos!<br /><br />~Karen E. Dabneybeloved1105https://www.blogger.com/profile/03504152043071746382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988933473707661085.post-25637547841758887512012-05-07T04:31:42.310-07:002012-05-07T04:31:42.310-07:00Jerry and Joy, thank you for this important post. ...Jerry and Joy, thank you for this important post. I found the visual-spatial discussion especially interesting--it was something I definitely saw in my classmates.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04727939718631826320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988933473707661085.post-76177834948183702852012-05-06T22:25:01.014-07:002012-05-06T22:25:01.014-07:00I think the point about responding to the "ma...I think the point about responding to the "mask" rather than the real person is very useful when applied to working across cultural boundaries. I agree very much with the other points made here as well. A very useful post, that I will be sharing widely.Mary St Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11160161605414673031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988933473707661085.post-80363573639738850642012-05-06T07:32:35.238-07:002012-05-06T07:32:35.238-07:00Thank you for reminding us that teachers need to m...Thank you for reminding us that teachers need to meet students based on where they are and who they are. It is a fundamental construct that is often overlooked.REUNION: A BOOK WITH A MISSIONhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14691944695175201250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-988933473707661085.post-89636567621222630362012-05-05T23:11:54.295-07:002012-05-05T23:11:54.295-07:00I MUST say that Jerry 'hit the ball out of the...I MUST say that Jerry 'hit the ball out of the park' with this post!! I am so proud to have his expertise and support as a part of this initiative to bring attention to the needs of ALL CLD gifted learners. My best to you, Jerry you continue to serve your people!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05849864176753056363noreply@blogger.com