There is no doubt that two people sharing similar hardships and entitlements, sharing zip codes, even genetics, can have radically different experiences when it comes to their education.
There are some that thrive in school and early on are identified as excelling in their academics, answering all
the questions correctly, basking in the pride that emanates both from a proud teacher and from a proud self.
Then again, there are those, that are not motivated by adulation. Instead, they may be more curious about understanding the mechanics of a clock. Their curiosity may compel them to take apart an antique clock, each piece on the floor, at the exact time their parents walk in. Here we have the child proud and enthused while the parents are livid, their adrenaline coursing through their bodies as much at the child’s curiosity that compelled the destruction of an heirloom, in the first place.
Indeed, giftedness, or unconventional learning styles yet undiscovered, can be isolating and infuriatingly boring. The world surrounding these youngsters has not offered them chances to challenge themselves. There are no clocks without sentimental value for them to take apart. No large problems that have not yet been fixed.
This has struck us hard at Self Development Academy because like every school in the country, we worry about the learning of our gifted, or dismissive, or avoidant, and the class clowns. We are also concerned about the parents who are working hard to ensure that their children are receiving not only high-quality education but also a nurturing and caring environment.
Last year, during the pandemic, we began what we called Community Swaps. We saw an imbalance and decided to correct it. Those with time on their hands gave to those without items such as food, toilet paper and other necessities, because their convenience store was not as convenient anymore.
We bring this up because, while certainly, we can hug loved ones, there is so much more work that needs to be done. We bring this up because Self Development Academy exists for the community, composed of individuals and their wonderful differences. The differences we notice is when the gifted child who amazingly not only puts the antique clock back together but was able to have it tell time again.
Gifted children are not merely satisfied with reflective pride — by this we mean, pride beaming upon someone like a ray of sun. Their focus is not necessarily having to do with getting things right, most of them get things wrong. They thrive on righting the wrongs that befuddle the rest of us. Curiosity seems to drive them toward knowledge.
Knowing and curiosity turns them into experts. Their expertise ages into finely cured wisdom. The arc of a gifted child’s life is to become exemplar politicians, inspiring teachers, humbled Nobel prize winners, and even poets that write the story of your heart in six words, not unlike Hemingway.
Gifted children need big problems to undertake. Now is the best time for our gifted children and fellow students at every Self Development Academy to help us fix imbalances in our community. What does this mean?
Each student, because of our personalized learning, craves curiosity. We teach, mold, and cultivate giftedness in our students. They spend the day learning the what, the teachers push their knowledge by asking them why, and then our students ponder what if. We are taking our students’ natural inclination to apply disparate disciplines and subjects to each school’s community, researching with keen mind to statistical purity what is it that would make our community thrive.
SDA’S COMMUNITY PROJECT
Students at each school will spend this year asking members of the school’s community: what can we do for you and what is it that would make your life just a bit easier? Our students are attentive to hardships and the diversity of its pain, whether experiencing it firsthand, or because we stress the importance of communal and citizenship literacy — the curiosity, unbound and fixated, upon improving the world. What will this look like?
Students will research community and city-wide needs through both quantitative and qualitative data, through surveys, and interviews. Once gathered, our gifted students will analyze and through multiple sessions, problem solve.These sessions are open to everyone of course. The solution will be broken into parts such that every grade can provide input from their brilliant minds. Students will resurvey the community, presenting to key stakeholders their proposal, written by students. If the solution is fitting, SDA will begin production and then finally application.
Why are we doing this? Schools are the last community centers — central hubs of parents and families. We can truly bring democracy to cities. Gifted students will now have projects requiring real Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The real world, its problems and solutions, are interdisciplinary. Gifted children know this already. We owe them and our community the chance to lead lives of motivated curiosity embedded deep inside the patriotic heart of civic duty.
A gifted child’s abilities are larger than a campus. We need the world to challenge them. We, students and staff, will speak with you soon, hoping to make your life a little easier as SDA students focus on making this world a better place to live.
To learn more about Self Development Academy and its gifted program, please contact the district office at (480) 641-2640 or visit SelfDevelopmentAcademy.com