Define Yourself By What You DON’T Do
Why do so many districts struggle to define what their gifted programs actually do?
Well, it’s actually kind of hard to start with what you do. It’s much easier to start with what you don’t do.
Organizations Have Obvious “Don’t Do’s”
Organizations with clear stories have obvious things that would be completely unacceptable.
- Disneyland does not have cheap carnival rides.
- McDonald’s doesn’t serve prime rib and lobster.
- In first class, airlines do not serve drinks in red plastic cups.
Are these obvious to you? Then you already know that organization’s story! Of course, McDonald’s doesn’t serve fancy meals. They’re a restaurant focused on kids and families.
You want people to say the same thing about your program.
Of course teachers in the gifted program don’t teach students things they already know! They specialize in teaching students who are far ahead of their grade level.
If you have a clear story, this should be head-slappingly obvious.
What Is Unacceptable?
If the CEO of American Airlines walked through first class and saw everyone drinking from red plastic cups, this would be unacceptable.
When you walk through your classrooms, what would be unacceptable? Make a list of three specific ideas in the context of gifted education.
Instead, we…
Once you know what you do not do, name the correct thing to do. Start with “instead.”
- Of course we don’t serve drinks in red plastic cups in first class. Instead, we use real glass.
- Of course we don’t teach students things they already know. Instead, we pre-assess and teach content appropriate to the child.
Now, Write Your Story
Now it becomes really easy to write your story on your homepage, right? You have a nice list of things you don’t do, followed by what you actually do.
- We do not teach students things they already know. Instead we pre-assess and move them forward as much as necessary.
- We do not ask students to tutor their peers. Our students should be learning, not teaching.
- We do not expect students to be self-directed all day. Instead, our teachers work directly with our most advanced students.
- We do not aim for grade level standards. Grade level standards are a requirement, not a goal. When they are met, we move on.
- We do not want endless 100%s. A 100% score means that the task was too simple for the student. We want students regularly scoring in the 80%s, which means we have room to teach them.
This is specific. It’s tangible. Parents will understand this!
Put this on you webpage right under that nice simple statement from last time.
It also makes it easy for you, as a leader, to walk into a classroom and check if you’re fulfilling your promises!