BVGT Elects Outlaw and Robertson as New Presidents
Boulder Valley Gifted and Talented members have elected not one but two new presidents. Cindy Outlaw and Eric Robertson will share the position as co-Presidents of BVGT. Cindy has been the BVGT Secretary this past year and previously was the Parent Rep Liaison. Eric is currently Head of School at Mackintosh Academy in Boulder, where two recent BVGT events have been held. Cindy and Eric will continue to keep BVGT moving forward with new ideas and more connections with even more schools to expand the reach of gifted advocacy in the greater Boulder area. The two replace founding BVGT President Terry Bradley who is stepping aside after seven years. Terry will now be on the BVGT Executive Board and is President-elect of the Colorado Association of Gifted and Talented (CAGT), of which BVGT is a local affiliate.
Psychologist shares how to help gifted children with anxiety
WATCH THE VIDEO. SEE THE SLIDES. Over 350 people ignored snow and cold weather on April 9 to come to Boulder’s Manhattan Middle School to hear Dr. Dan Peters, co-author of the book Raising Creative Kids, give practical and effective techniques for managing and overcoming anxiety. Peters’ presentation for BVGT, Taming the Worry Monster: Anxiety In Gifted Children, showed how gifted learners are often vulnerable to, and impacted by, anxiety, worrying, obsessing, perfectionism, and social and generalized anxiety. Some strategies for managing anxiety include identify the thought, challenge the thought, modify the thought and replace the thought. See the photos. Peters also talked with counselors and TAG advisors in the Boulder Valley School District.
Sal Khan talks about how his gifted classroom experience affected his thinking and learning. Listen to the 90-second clip here.
Sal Khan is the founder of the Khan Academy, a free online education platform and nonprofit organization. With a library of over 3,000 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and hundreds of skills to practice, all of the site’s resources are available to anyone including students of all ages, teachers, home-schoolers, principals, and adults returning to the classroom. Hear the entire 18-minute CNN Profiles interview with Sal Khan here.
Moving Past Perfect – The Road to Recovery From Perfectionism
An attentive audience of 225 parents, students and educators heard Dr. Thomas Greenspon talk about perfectionism at the most recent BVGT event at Southern Hills Middle School. Greenspon said the outstanding characteristic among perfectionists is concern over mistakes and the anxiety that follows. His elements in creating an environment of acceptance include empathy, self reflection, encouragement (from parents and teachers), and dialogue (with parents and teachers). See photos on Facebook. Thank you to the Jefferson County Association for Gifted Children for a financial contribution to this event. See the notes from Greenspon’s slide presentation.
Watch the BVGT presentation on perfectionism in its entirety.
