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Keeping Up with Dr. Ruf . . .
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Greetings!
Well, we Minnesotans have made it through this winter. We had plenty of ice and snow into March, and some lingering cold weather in April. But, at least today, the sun is warm, the breeze is fresh, the trees are leafing out, and tulips and daffodils are blooming. We are always working on improving our systems here at Educational Options, and we are once again changing our schedule. New assistant Julia Zimmerman and I are job-sharing, which we find is working very well. The office will be staffed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with me in the office Monday and Tuesday and Julia in the office Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I will also work from my own home on Wednesdays, from where I will put together special projects such as this newsletter! Be sure and check out Dr. Ruf's Blog, where she has posted a new entry on Boys and Troubles in School.
Sincerely, Kathy Hara, Editor
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Dr. Ruf Article Posted
Independence and Relationship Issues in Intellectually Gifted
Adolescents, an article written by Dr. Ruf, was recently posted on Talent Development Resources.
The Talent
Development Resources site is designed to help explore multiple creative
talents, to better understand the barriers that can keep us from realizing
those abilities, and provide a variety of tools that can enhance personal
development.
The concept of "talent development" is one the site author, Douglas Eby,
has borrowed loosely, he says, from both academic (high school, college)
programs that are designed to help gifted and talented students develop their
cognitive and creative abilities, and, to a lesser extent, from corporate
programs oriented toward helping adults develop themselves more fully.
Another section of the Talent Development Resources site is High Ability,
which incorporates many more resources pertaining to social
and emotional issues and personal growth for gifted teens and adults. And another
link takes you directly to the teen and young adult page.
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For Mensa Kids
Hey Kids! This pirate was walking around with a
paper towel on his head instead of a hat.
So I said to him, "Dude, where's your hat?"
"Arr,
I got a Bounty on me head."
So, kids, think you can do
better? Mensa's Gifted Children's Program is publishing a new magazine for
Mensa Kids and they need you--your jokes, your stories, your ideas. Send
them your questions, stories, poems, essays, trivia or reviews of books, movies, games for possible inclusion in the new magazine, just for Mensa kids!
Even if you are not an
author, you can participate in Mensa's first issue by helping them pick a name
for the new magazine. Visit Max's blog (click on Max the Fox) to suggest a name or vote for someone
else's. The winning name will be revealed at the Annual Gathering in Pittsburgh (July 1-5, 2009) when the first issue comes out!
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Gifted Database from Davidson
The
Davidson Institute recently launched the Davidson Gifted Database, formerly
known as GT-CyberSource. The renovated
site features improved search capabilities
for articles, resources and state policy pages to help students, parents and
educators pinpoint a wealth of gifted information.
You can also access the
Davidson Gifted Database from the Davidson
Institute's home page - just look for "Database" in the top menu bar or
footer information.
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Reading Resources
Summertime for many kids - and
their parents! - means more time for reading interesting books. If you are
looking for recommendations, here are a few sources:
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Bullying
Have
your children ever been the victim of bullies? There are some very good links,
articles, and curriculum materials on bullying and the gifted at Hoagies.
If you have a young daughter who has been bullied, you might want to take
advantage of the new American Girl doll (and accompanying books) that has been
developed for this year by the American Girl doll company. (The company makes one new doll each year to
represent an "American girl of today"). The doll's name is Chrissa and the
doll, movie, and stories are very important because they deal directly with the
bullying issue and how Chrissa (who is being bullied) deals with the problem.
This may give your daughter a chance to role play during her doll play and do
some problem solving.
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Science Daily
The ScienceDaily.com website
loaded with fascinating information for those interested in science and
mathematics. The site contains news, articles, videos, images and books under
these headings: health and medicine; mind and brain; plants and animals; earth
and climate; space and time; matter and energy; computers and math; and fossils
and ruins.
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Gifted Education Symposium
The first annual
Hormel Foundation Gifted and Talented Education Symposium is scheduled June
14-18, 2009,
in Austin, Minnesota. This symposium provides an opportunity for educators,
counselors, administrators and parents to gain greater understanding of the
unique needs of gifted and high potential learners.
A generous grant from The Hormel
Foundation and collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Education and Austin Public School District makes possible an intensive educational experience for
educators. Invited speakers include many of the field's finest regional,
national and internationally known presenters, focusing on foundational
knowledge, creativity, curriculum strategies, and social and emotional needs.
Registration is now open!
Visit the the Austin Public School District website and access symposium information located on the bottom right corner
under The Hormel Foundation heading.
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Losing Our Minds
Dr. Ruf's book, Losing Our Minds: Gifted
Children Left Behind, is available through Great PotentialPress or Amazon.
Click here to learn more.
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Deborah Ruf
Educational Options
www.EducationalOptions.com
inquiry@educationaloptions.com
763-521-4565
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