Today, I thought I would link to some of my more popular past posts. For whatever reason, these posts have been read over and over. I’d love to know what makes them so popular with readers. Read one or a few. Each post can be accessed easily by clicking on the title or indicated text. Let me know what you think!
I apologize for the formatting issue that appears early in the post. I have attempted to correct it several times and the text reverts to the large size.
1. Puff the Magic Dragon & the Land of Honali? Honahli? Hanalei? Honahlee?
Post information – Orginal Date of Digital Publication:
September 7th, 2017
Viewed 403 times since that date. 36 views last month alone!
2. Outliers & The Gifted
Post information – Original Date of Digital Publication:
April 20, 2017
Viewed a total of 236 times since that date with 166 of those times being in October of 2019. This is considered my most widely read post due to that single day spike on 10/8/19.
3. Giftedness: Do We Need the Label or Not?
Post information – Original Date of Publication: November 27th, 2017
This post has been viewed a total of 141 times since that date. (+one)
Interestingly enough, this morning (4/14/20) I received a detailed comment from a Graduate Student in Mathematics in response to this old post. He/she makes some great points. The post is worth a read. His comments can be seen at the end. I will be responding to his comments later today.
4. When Volunteerism is Sprayed in the Face
Post Information – Original Date of Publication: April 30th, 2019
Viewed a total of 105 times since the original publication date.
Most of these posts were written with passion for the subject they addressed. While that lends to interesting writing, these posts are often also those that irritate some way. Reflective writing cannot (and, should not) always be politically correct for it is influenced by our own knowledge and experience.
5. Resources for the Gifted and Talented
This post has received many views because it links to some valuable supportive resources for the Gifted and Talented Student population. It is of interest to me that many posts addressing giftedness are views but few are “liked” or commented on. It is unfortunate for all – students, teachers, and parents – that this subject is still not fully addressed for the population that needs it. My suggestion is to pick one of the resources listed and do some reading if you have any contact with the talented and gifted student population.
6. What is Leadership?
Over the last three years, I’ve written a series of posts on leadership. This is the original post in that series. It is more briefly written than you might assume but stimulated some longer more contemplative posts on the individual characteristics of leadership.
7. Cougar in the Coulee
To round out some of my more popular blogs, is this humorous piece on an animal I saw near our house a couple of years ago. It was about this time of year the animal was spotted and provided all the excitement! Enjoy! I hope it makes you laugh!
I find it satisfying to go back and read some of my previous blog posts. What draws readers to each post (especially if the post is somewhat old) is also of interest to me. Feel free to leave comments about which post you chose to read and why, as well as what you thought after you completed the reading.
Today is Slice of Life Tuesday! The TwoWritingTeachers Blog developed and offers this supportive community of writing! Thank you for giving us a platform for our voices and our writing!
The Apples in My Orchard 
I didn’t realize that you, too, were in gifted education. Love to see a like mind out there!
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Hmmmm. Well, I got into gifted ed by default – I saw needs that our students had that were not being addressed. So, I developed some enrichment groups at the elementary level and then at the request of the TAG teacher I wrote you about in my last comment, I started a district wide parent support group for families with gifted students. Its main purpose was to raise awareness of the needs of gifted students, provide support to parents, and stress the need for more opportunities for these students to challenge themselves. It was one of the most stressful things I’ve ever done, but it was needed. So, my involvement in gifted education is informal as a parent, and enrichment educator. What grades do you work with? Are you utilized for a whole district? Do you use pull out groups or do you go into the classrooms?
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I am sure your school parents really appreciate that you have the perspective of being a parent of gifted kids, because you know on a deeper level how giftedness affects kids AND families.
For me, I am a language arts specialist K-5, but I mostly work with kids in grades 2-5 at the two elementary schools in my district. I do push-in when I can, and I also try to support teachers with planning and collaboration. I only wish there were more time to support teachers with the work they do every day.
I’ve also been a multi-age teacher in a magnet program for gifted/talented students, and a (mostly math and ELA) K-5 differentiation specialist/coach.
I love the parent support group you started. Parent advocacy is a HUGE component. I’d love to hear more about it!
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