DYS Homeroom

“Fit in and stand out! Fit in while winning! Be the best while also trying to be like everyone else.” - The paradoxical voice of comparison running your day Comparing oneself to others is natural, but that does not make it desirable. People often try to gauge how they are doing with an activity by looking around. Am I doing better? Am I doing worse? However, how “good or bad” you are performing compared to others is not always easy to assess. Some brains are built to highlight the strengths of others and weaknesses in themselves (or vise-versa). Also, performance is never a sign of how “good or bad” you are as a person. In essence, this default mode of the human brain can wreak havoc if you don’t learn how to tame it. Facts: Comparison is not an emotion, but it drives all kinds of big feelings (can you name some of those feelings)? Comparison often happens without our awareness and is a pervasive social phenomenon (a fish doesn’t know it’s in water) We engage in upward social comp...

“The time is always right to do what is right.” - Martin Luther King Jr. “You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln “Any man’s life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day.” – Booker T. Washington This week we sought to explore the difference between wisdom and IQ. We discussed important cognitive abilities that take place in our minds but don’t show up on tests of intelligence. Students were exposed to definitions regarding the following words related to wisdom: Sound Judgment (using available evidence instead of fixed views) Tolerance For Uncertainty (patience finding an answer/delaying the need for “cognitive closure”)  Rationality (managing your resources and behaviors in a realistic way that leads to success) Practicality (common sense versus mere brain power) Awareness of bias (understand humans are biased and have faulty logic - can you spot yours?) Open-mind...

In this week’s lesson, students were exposed to definitions regarding introversion and extroversion. Instead of being preferences for liking or disliking people (or anything to do with shyness), these personality traits simply define how people gain energy and recharge. Introverts gain energy in quiet settings with small numbers of people (or by themselves!), while extroverts recharge around others in busy environments (think parties and festivals). After going through a checklist with characteristics of both extroversion and introversion, we talked about why many (but not all) gifted individuals lean towards introversion. We also discussed being an “ambivert” with combinations of both introversion and extroversion. Optional Journal Prompts/Activities: – What do you like to do to recharge now that you know a little more about introversion and extroversion? Read? Go to a concert? Draw? – Why is it important to understand these traits not only for your sake, but for the sake of your rela...

“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” –attributed to Aristotle Humans, in general, do not like criticism. We often take it personally (as an attack on our character), even if the feedback is about a project of ours, a random action, or an opinion we need to refine. In general, we have a hard time separating ourselves from the “thing” being criticized.  Is it possible to handle criticism in a positive way? Yes. Our first natural reaction to criticism is to become defensive. However, if we can overcome this tendency, an entire new world of learning awaits on the other side. Instead of spending our time trying to justify whether or not the criticism was warranted, we can take a moment to give the content some thought and look for positive lessons. If your overall goal is to become a better person (or better student, better musician/athlete, artist, etc.), your first job is to realize some critical feedback directed at you wi...

One common concern showing up in students I’ve worked with over the years is related to the social fear of appearing arrogant when they are highly gifted. Another common concern involves not being able to tolerate people who come off as arrogant with similar abilities… (Why on earth do they brag so much? I can do xxx and I’m not drawing attention to myself… What’s the deal?) This week we strived to tackle the tricky topic of “arrogance vs. confidence.” Opening Quotes: “He who truly knows has no occasion to shout.” - Leonardo da Vinci “A person is bound to lose when he talks about himself; if he belittles himself, he is believed; if he praises himself, he isn’t believed.” - Michel de Montaigne “A session of boasting won’t attract any real friends. It will set you up on a pedestal, however, making you a clearer target.” - Richelle E. Goodrich “If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself.” - Henry David Thoreau “If I cannot...

Individuals who are highly gifted often experience their emotions in a heightened and intense manner. If students are uncomfortable with many of the emotions they’ve labeled “negative,” these emotions can metastasize and become a landmine for shame.  This week, we discussed how jealousy and frustration are natural parts of the human condition. We also worked on broadening our emotional vocabulary by distinguishing certain emotions from one another. Facts:  - Envy and jealousy are very different emotions  - Envy is when we want something another person has - Jealousy is when we fear losing a relationship or valued part of a relationship we already have  - Jealousy is not considered a singular emotion, but instead a “thinking response” to a feeling of anger, sadness, or fear.   - In children, jealousy most often relates to loss of parental attention or perceived special treatment of someone else. (I sometimes wonder if my own kids are jealous of you while I t...

Concerning the mini-lesson, this week we focused on common “maddening myths” about gifted education (see below). Students were presented with a myth and asked to break it down from their own perspective while being exposed to the “fact” in the Gifted Teen Survival Guide (sometimes I borrow from this excellent book in addition to the Gifted Kids Survival Guide). We used myth number four (“gifted kids are good at everything they do”) to segue into a discussion about twice-exceptionality. I let students know, even if they don’t identify as twice-exceptional themselves, they will encounter many students on their educational journey who do, and it’s beneficial to be aware of this definition and the specific challenges involved (see images below). We also discussed Famous 2e people in history (a brief list) and analyzed corresponding quotes. Hans Christian Andersen  Simone Weil  Mozart  Beethoven  Archimedes  Vincent van Gogh  Isaac Newton  Nikola Tesla...