Helping Gifted Children Soar: A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers

by Gretchen Hirsch and Carol A. Strip

Book Overview

Parenting gifted children is "...the world's biggest, highest, longest roller coaster...a theme park full of thrill rides. Sometimes you smile. Sometimes you gasp. Sometimes you scream. Sometimes you... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0910707413
• ISBN13: 9780910707411
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Great Potential Press
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

definitely worth reading

I've read other comments about this book and agree that maybe if someone already knows a lot about the characteristics of gifted children and knows how to help them in school, then this book maybe too "basic." However, there are at least three chapters in this book that I'd suggest every parent of a gifted child read: Building Trust, Building Relationships--explains how to be the best parent to a gifted child. A lot of the advice would apply to being a parent to any child too, by the way. Accepting the Gifted Child--also includes a lot of general common sense advice about supporting your child, but stresses that in the case of gifted children it will be even more important to accept them as they are. Supporting Gifted Children--stresses the importance of catching stress early and teaching a child to "relax." I also disagree with the review that says this book is for helping children who are in public schools. I'm afraid many private or parochial schools, even though they may have rigorous academic curriculum, cannot acommodate gifted children. Teachers in those schools might like this book as well.

Helping Gifted Children Soar

Helping Gifted Children Soar (A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers) by Carol A. Strip, Ph.D with Gretchen Hirsch. Gifted Psychology Press, 270 pp.Reviewed by Nadine Huffman and Elizabeth GlierDuring our combined 20+ years of parenting and teaching our gifted children, we've read countless books on giftedness, which have yielded various reactions and degrees of satisfaction. Like the porridge in the three bears' cottage, many seemed "too hot" or "too cold" - too simplistic, too academia-oriented, too esoteric. Only a select few were "just right," worthy of recommendation and a place in our home libraries. So when we set out to review Carol Strip's Helping Gifted Children Soar, we were, quite frankly, a bit skeptical. Indeed, the book has a great pedigree. It's published by Dr. James Webb's (co-author of Guiding the Gifted Child) Gifted Psychology Press. But would its claim, "A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers" prove to be justifiable, earning it a permanent place on our bookshelves?Fortunately for the gifted community, this book falls into the "just right" category. It's excellent for teachers, and even better for parents. Dr. Strip's breadth of experience -- as a regular and gifted classroom teacher, gifted program administrator, and university professor - serves her exceedingly well. Since working within the educational system is her forte, the book is loaded with comprehensive advice and concrete suggestions on how to meet children's educational needs.Written in laymen's terms, the book is extremely readable. Particularly incisive sections include defining smart vs. gifted; selecting optimal teachers; exploring learning options (e.g., acceleration, curriculum compacting, and pull-outs); characteristics of good gifted programs; and effective parent/teacher communication. Dr. Strip also offers a plethora of solid parenting suggestions, and a useful question/answer section. The book includes over 20 pages of first-class resources and references. One comment: Given the paradigm shift towards homeschooling among many gifted parents today, it's curious that this option rates only a nominal mention in the book. Homeschooling is neither Dr. Strip's emphasis nor her area of expertise. But there's enough other pertinent material to make it a worthwhile read for homeschooling parents. The techniques are relevant and valuable in any educational setting.Helping Gifted Children Soar may well become the gifted equivalent to Dr. Spock or Penelope Leach on your home reference shelf. Together with Guiding the Gifted Child (Webb, Meckstroth and Tolan) and Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom (Winebrenner), it's a terrific resource for your child's teacher, gifted specialist, principal, or school library.

A Gifted Book

I wish Helping Gifted Children Soar: A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers was in existence when my gifted son was young. How fortunate for those who now have it available to them. This book is like a sage who takes you by the hand and guides you through the world of giftedness, a territory that was unfamiliar to me when my son was growing up. "Eureka!" came to mind a number of times as I read instances and examples that now shed light on a number of areas relating to my son's development. The wide range of topics covered by this book is stunning ... the physical, social, intellectual, and emotional aspects of the gifted child. The content, written with clarity, provides in-depth guidelines for parents and teachers and demonstrates the importance of parents and teachers serving as allies in their understanding and support of the gifted child. Also included are real-life examples of gifted children and an informative reference section. Appealing and very helpful is the Table of Contents, which not only includes chapter titles, but also chapter subheadings, allowing one to locate topic information immediately. Kudos to Carol Strip and Gretchen Hirsch for their dedicated and important work.

An invaluable, informative guide

Helping Gifted Children Soar is highly recommended reading for parents and teachers as it explains the difference between "smart" and "gifted"; what the term "gifted" precisely means; and the difference between "gifted" and "talented". Carol Strip and Gretchen Hirsch survey the problems associated with being "gifted"; the types of programs that exist in the public school system for the gifted and talented; how children are selected for special programs in schools; and how a parent can be certain that their school is offering the right thing for their child. With special programs for gifted children being mandated by most states, Helping Gifted Children Soar is an invaluable, informative guide, resource, and reference.

Help for the Gifted for Teachers, Parents, and Grandparents

Have you ever wondered whether or not your child is gifted or just "extra smart"? Have you ever wanted to know what to do with your own children who may fall into one or the other of these categories? Helping Your Gifted Children Soar answers those questions and many more about gifted children. As the mother and grandmother of gifted students, I highly recommend this book to everyone with an interest in or confusion about education for the gifted. The authors stress the importance of creating a partnership between parents and teachers to best serve the gifted child. Strip and Hirsch offer practical information about how to get the best education for your gifted child no matter what the educational setting. Gifted children need special handling, and this book offers sensible and thorough guidelines on how to deal with specific needs and problems. The case histories are fascinating. I found the questions and answers section to be extemely helpful. The entire book is written in an easy to understand format with plenty of wonderful examples in how to assist and nurture your gifted child. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to more about what makes children gifted and how you can help them achieve balance intellectually and socially. This would be a great birthday or holiday gift for any parent or grandparent who has a high-energy, high-achieving, and talented child in the family. I also recommend it to every teacher who tends to the needs of gifted children in the classroom.