Parents Move Forward with Gifted Ireland

 

Since 2009 we have been working together as gifted advocates. Our blog was born of this effort and has served as our learning curve in technology, writing styles, social media, collaboration and cooperation. We have consumed copious amounts of coffee and too many buns in our quest for blog perfection! We have had great times with much laughter and the inevitable low points and disagreements along the way, but have grown in the process, united by our shared vision of establishing a support network around the country and advocating on behalf of our children.

Over the past few months, we have met many of the the fantastic parents who have begun to come together around Ireland to offer support to each other locally. This has been truly inspirational. After four years, we are now delighted to move aside and share the stage at last. While the two of us will, no doubt, continue to air our views here as Dazzled and Frazzled from time to time, we invite you all to join the new team at Gifted Ireland.

With this new online initiative, local groups can have a dedicated page where they can post their upcoming events and meetings. As each group is independently run by its members, they will reflect the needs and emphasis of local parents and gifted young people. In time, we hope that groups will be able to share ideas and organise joint events, as we have already done with our Dublin North and Kildare friends.

Like the Facebook page here

Follow @GiftedIreland on Twitter here

Dublin Mini Maker Faire

Looking for somewhere to take the kids this summer? How about the Dublin Mini Maker Faire?

"Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth - a family-friendly showcase of onvention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the maker movement. It's a place where people show what they are making, and share what they're learning."

Our GAS group is going to use this as an excuse for getting our kids together. It won't be a rigidly organised outing, but we are making arrangements for meeting up and easily finding each other on the day. If you would like to be included, please get in touch. We are hoping that members of other groups will join us. The more the merrier!

For a flavour of what to expect, this video was made at last year's event:

You will find more details if you look around the Dublin Maker Faire website.

AND....The Festival of Curiosity is on the very same weekend, from 25th to 28th. Dublin will clearly be the place to be:

Join us in a curious world of imagination and exploration where you will think, play and make.

Throughout the festival you will experience a unique series of hands-on activities, treasure hunts, workshops, robot building, a curiosity carnival, interactive installations, street games, science busking, interactive theatre and science storytelling –  for all the family.

The Parent Challenge

New Zealand celebrates Gifted Awareness Week from 17th to 23rd June this year and we are delighted to join in their blog tour in anticipation.Ours is a very small contribution, but during the week there will be many more posts looking at giftedness from all sorts of angles. We hope our readers will have a look at the blog tour page or follow #NZGAW on Twitter, and be inspired. 

Parenting a gifted child can be a very lonely and frightening role to play. Our kids most certainly do not come with an instruction booklet and, at times, it can seem that no one knows how to help us figure things out.

Courtesy of Kidspot.com.au

All too often, we defer to the wisdom of professional experts. Yes, there are many wonderful experts out there, advancing the fields of gifted education and psychology, and we must be grateful and supportive of them. (Does it ever strike you how many of these people are either gifted or parents of gifted children themselves?) However, the vast majority professionals with whom we come into contact, do not have training or expertise in giftedness and are liable to misinterpret and misdiagnose. Don't ever forget, there is no one more expert in your child than you! We live with these kids 24/7. We see them in all sorts of situations and moods. We know what makes them tick....well, sometimes!

Parents of gifted children come from diverse backgrounds, educationally, financially, and culturally, but we all have one thing in common: No matter what life throws at us, we will always love and support our children unconditionally. Regardless of career opportunities and politics, we will always look for what is best for our children and we will be relentless in our quest.

As a group, we include educators, psychologists, paediatricians and psychiatrists. Others are great leaders and motivators; some make great coffee; some are wonderful listeners; some provide the much-needed light relief when the going gets tough! Each and every one of us has something to bring to the party.

As a group, we have so much to offer and our challenge must be to find each other, to use each others strengths to support each other, to learn from each other and to develop a loud and powerful voice on behalf of our children.

As individuals, we may often feel swamped, unsure and inadequate. As a group, we have the passion, the skills and the expertise to really make a difference. We should not wait about for others to do this for us. Join your local support group and get stuck in. If there isn’t one, start one. We urge you to rise to the challenge.

Many thanks to Kidspot.com.au for permission to use the above cartoon.

Together We Can Change the World

We are delighted to join with our friends in Germany as they celebrate their first Gifted Awareness Week. We invite our readers to visit their website and read the many articles contributed by some very eminent people in the field of giftedness. However, we make no apology for writing as parents. We send our very best wishes from Ireland!

Parenting gifted children can be a rollercoaster. Just as you think you have it all figured out, the unexpected can happen and leave you feeling isolated, scared and frustrated. There is little awareness within the education system, of their needs, quirks and characteristics. Teachers and psychologists, most of whom have little or no training in the field of giftedness, may misinterpret assessments and misdiagnose behaviours. Parents may be left dealing with a bored, frustrated, difficult child with nowhere to turn for help and advice.

This is where parents' support groups are invaluable. Each child and each situation is different, but the one thing which we parents all have in common is the burning desire to do what is best for our children. New members often arrive to their first meeting full of anxiety but, having spoken to other parents of gifted children for the first time, they go away relieved to know that they are not alone and that they are not failing as parents.

Over time, we will all encounter difficulties and a good vent over a cup of coffee is extremely therapeutic! When you are in a support group, this is only ever a phone call or an email away. Between us, we have children spanning the entire age range, so we have a huge pool of knowledge and experience to share.

The only people with an unwavering vested interest in gifted children are their parents. No matter what career opportunities or barriers cross our paths, we will always have our children's happiness and welfare at the head of our agenda. So, it is vital that we not only support each other, but that we also work together to raise awareness of our children's needs and to bring about change within the education system. We cannot sit back and rely on others to do this for us.

Natalie, Deirdre, Catherine and Karen on a sunny day in Bray!

Natalie Butler, Deirdre O'Donovan, Catherine Riordan, Karen McCarthy,  and Michele Pippet (missing above) represent Gifted Advocacy and Support (GAS), a parents’ support group in Dublin and Wicklow, on Ireland's east coast. The group has run meetings and outings for parents of gifted learners and has been involved in advocacy at national level since 2009. Recognising the benefit to parents of getting together to share ideas and support, they are now working towards helping to build other support groups around Ireland and providing a means of communication between them. Through their website, parents can come together to give each other valuable support and friendship as they negotiate their way through the challenging years of parenting their gifted children.

Support Group Meeting

Tuesday 21st May

7.45pm

 

Glenview Hotel, Kilmacanogue 

Topics for discussion:

• Assessment: Why, when, by whom. How to interpret and what to do with the report. 
• Not fitting in 

Everyone is welcome, but it would be helpful if you could let us know if you are coming so that we have an idea of numbers. You can do this by leaving a comment below or dropping us a line through the "Contact Us" button. 

Directions

If any other support groups are having meetings, we are very happy to post a notice here too. Just send us the details!

Support Groups for Parents of Gifted Children in Ireland

Support groups are a great way for parents to get together and let off steam. They provide an opportunity to speak to others who may be experiencing similar difficulties to their own and who may have found solutions. It is a huge relief to discover that your children are actually “normal” after all!

Since the early days of our own group, Gifted Advocacy and Support (GAS), we have encouraged other parents around the country to form similar groups. We have done this through this blog, facebook and twitter and through speaking on several occasions at CTYI events. You may have come across Dazzled and Frazzled & Co handing out flyers at DCU on occasions!

Each marker on the map below represents an individual parent who either is or wants to be involved in a support group. Over time, we hope to add to the map so that everyone can find at least one parent within easy reach.


View GAS in a larger map 
Our hope is, firstly, to help other parents to find each other for support, but also to provide a means of communication between groups so that we can support and encourage each other. We also hope that we can all come together to work on any future advocacy efforts so that we have a louder, unified voice.

In order to help parents to find each other, we have added a new page to our blog: Find Support. There, we have a list of support groups. If you would like to be put in touch with one of these, or have a group which you would like added to the list, please let us know. If any of the details need updating, be sure and let us know too.

Although our primary focus is on parents, teachers who wish to join support groups are warmly welcomed. Parents and teachers have much to learn from each other when it comes to supporting gifted learners. When they work together and listen to each other, the children benefit enormously.

When It Comes To Advocacy, Every Little Helps!

In Ireland, we have very little by way of support or recognition for gifted children. In 2009, even our national advocacy body, the IAGC, fell apart. So, in 2011, Karen, Peter Lydon and I decided to try again using a different approach. Karen and I had already set up a local support group (GAS) and we felt that expanding this model into a network of similar groups would be a way forward, so we established Gifted and Talented Network Ireland. We use this blog as a means of spreading the word and providing a source of information relevant to Irish teachers and parents. Most of the material produced on giftedness comes from countries where the field is far more advanced that in Ireland, but sometimes it can seem a little "foreign" to us and our system. (And, quite frankly, extremely depressing at times when we see what can be done!)

Now, I am not someone who usually does things by half-measures. I felt under enormous pressure to hold regular support group meetings, write regular blogposts and turn up at every Twitter chat. It became all-consuming and I felt guilty when I failed to reach my self-imposed standards of perfection. I also began to feel frustrated by the lack of similar enthusiasm from others when people didn't turn up to meetings or chats. Then, earlier this year, I had an epiphany:

I have two teenaged children, a medical career and my personal sanity to attend to. I cannot be a professional or full-time advocate. It has taken me a long time, but I have finally realised that I don't have to be. I have made a difference and I will continue to plug away, but if I miss a few Twitter chats or don't post on my blog for weeks on end, I am not a failure and I don't need to beat myself up about it. This realisation has been such a release! But, it also strikes me that many people are probably like me and hesitate to take the first step because they feel they won't be able to do the job properly. With the perfectionist tendencies that many of us have, putting ourselves out there as advocates can be a little daunting.

So, my message for International Week of the Gifted 2012, is relax and go for it. It doesn't matter how much you do or how often. Whatever little you do, it will be more than is being done without you. Once you take that first step, others will join you and together we really can make a difference. As a certain well-known chain says: Every Little Helps! 

Taking Gifted Advocacy in Ireland to the Next Level

One week on from EU Talent Day and I am finally finding my feet again! Firstly, a big THANK YOU is due to everyone who supported Gifted Education Awareness Day and EU Talent Day. All the organisations who lent official support and helped to spread the word through their networks. An Post and Katie McMillan for the wonderful artwork. Dublin Zoo, the National Museum, the National Gallery who held events and helped to promote the day. The members of our GAS group who helped in so many ways behind the scenes. Deserving of particular thanks are Elaine Mackey for her enthusiasm, advice and expertise and Natalie Butler who succeeded in getting coverage in the National newspapers and who is responsible for the wonderful quote from our Minister for Education! And Hilary Jordan of www.cakesunlimited.ie for the delicious chocolate cake.

In the days leading up to 8th April, every single one of the 4100+ school Principals in Ireland received a poster for their staffroom and a leaflet prepared with the help of ICEPE, with information on gifted education. Based on the number of teachers who have signed up to TEACHIreland, the new professional association for Teachers of Exceptionally Able Children in Ireland, and the phonecalls/emails from people looking for more information, our goal of raising awareness was certainly achieved. This would not have been possible without the very generous sponsorship of  Brian Clavin and KPMG.

Frazzled and Peter "negotiate"!

On Saturday 9th April, we officially launched Gifted and Talented Network Ireland. We hope to see this develop into a  body which can bring people together to ensure that gifted advocacy in Ireland can be carried out in a co-ordinated, cohesive and effective fashion, whilst still allowing for individual groups. In fact, we would hope that it can be used as a means of supporting each other. The "rules of engagement" have yet to be finalised and our plan is to bring together representatives from interested parties in a few months time to agree on these .

It is our firm belief that the way forward is for a network of strong local support groups to develop. In this way, individuals on the ground can feel involved, valued and included so that, over time, new voices and new ideas can come forward. While a few high-profile advocates remain to the fore, there is a danger that other very capable people feel that they are not qualified or valuable, so they remain quiet. They may also be of the impression that the big noises have it all sewn up and under control! The story of our GAS group serves as a good illustration of what can happen when individuals come together with confidence and a can-do attitude. It began in 2009 when one individual realised that there was no support group in their area simply because no one had set one up. All that it took was one friend for moral support to get the ball rolling and from that has slowly developed GAS South Dublin/Wicklow.


View GT Network Ireland in a larger map
We plan to use the gtnetwork register to get local support groups up and running. As you can see from the map above, fifteen counties are represented already and we will be contacting the individuals concerned over the coming weeks. We are quite happy to travel to meet these people and get them started. 


In summary, the EU Talent Day initiative in Ireland was a great start and has opened doors. Now we need to keep the momentum going and we need more hands on deck. Just imagine the success we might see with our next venture if we have people all round the country working together! 

A final THANK YOU to Hungary for the concept of an EU Talent Day and to Eszter Kethelyi who helped to put together the Irish page on their website. The result of the initiative on a European scale is the Budapest Declaration on Talent Support which calls on all member states to ensure that talent is actively supported in their own country, and to hold an annual Talent Day each spring. It is hoped that an international talent support network will develop and: 
"The participants agree to invite stakeholders from every country of the European Union to convene annually to discuss the developments and current questions in talent support. Upon the invitation of the Government of Poland the next conference will take place in Warsaw in 2012."


For those of you who couldn't make it to the Zoo, here are a few photos. More to follow when we get permission to add people pics.

Purpose and Passion Part 1

Parents With Purpose

Yes, it’s true that in Ireland we have no gifted and talented programmes in our schools or even a national advocacy organisation. Our teachers receive little or no training in gifted education during their basic training. No, we don’t have the likes of James Webb, SENG or the NAGC. Yes, when you go looking for information and resources on all things gifted, you generally end up with something produced in the USA, or maybe Australia or the UK.

We have a choice. We can whinge and moan and wait for things to change, or we can get up off our arses and make that change happen. Please don’t say that you don’t have the time, the skills, the personality…or whatever excuse you fancy. 

In February 2008, a speaker at the CTYI conference, “Understanding Gifted Education”, at DCU had to abandon her lecture and just answer questions from parents. One parent, Margaret Keane, came away with the message that parents were hungry for information but had nowhere to turn. She could have joined the whinging, but she decided to set up a website instead. Now, granted, she did have the training and skill to do that. However, through many hours of hard work and dedication, she has seen her site grow to become a fantastic resource to which parents and teachers can turn for information regarding gifted children: www.Giftedkids.ie

Dazzled and I met through the discussion forum on the Giftedkids.ie website where we were moderators. In May of 2009, we decided that if we wanted a support group in our area, then we would just have to start one ourselves. We picked a date and a venue, announced it on the Giftedkids.ie forum and we had 6 people at our first meeting.

That summer, in response to the invitation from the Government’s Innovation Taskforce we wrote a submission highlighting the need for provision for gifted students in our education system. However, with the demise of the Irish Association for Gifted Children, we found we had no platform from which to deliver it. In the end, we submitted it on behalf of our support group, but we swore we would never find ourselves in that position again. So, we turned out support group into a Gifted Advocacy and Support group: GAS. Now, we can make submissions and representations on behalf of parents in the South Dublin/Wicklow area. Our group has grown steadily over the past year and we now have a cohesive core group who are working on advocacy projects together.

One year ago, neither if us had more than very basic computer skills. We could manage emails and web searching, but that was about it. Now we are regulars on Twitter, we administer a google group and a google website for GAS and we have this blog and a facebook page. Most recently, we made our first foray into public speaking at the Irish Teaching and Learning Festival in Dublin.

There are other individuals out there doing their bit. One example is Leslie Graves. Like us, she is a mother of gifted children with a passion to make a difference. Over the years, she has developed a wealth of knowledge which she passes on through public speaking and now also a blog. On behalf of the IAGC, before it was dissolved, she contributed to the NCCA draft guidelines for gifted education and was elected to the WCGTC.

Some of us, through determination to understand the issues, have certificates or diplomas gained through distance learning programmes, but none  of us has a teaching degree or can claim to be a professional or registered teacher. What we do have is years of experience raising gifted children within the Irish education system. We all have extensive knowledge gleaned from reading, studying and attending conferences. The parents of most gifted children could claim the same.  If more of us step up to the plate, together we can really make a difference.

We would love to see other support groups such as ours spring up around the country. Imagine the impact if we had a GAS network. With the age of social networking, geography is no longer a barrier. The united voice of many will always be more powerful than the individual, so it is important that we all support and encourage each other. We each have different skills and strengths and may take different paths but we must always guard against falling into the trap of becoming focused on ourselves and losing sight of the goal. Our sole agenda must be to support our children and we can only do that by working together as a unified force for advocacy.