Purple Sneakers and planning for the future 2

Image Jo Freitag

Paula had promised to tell why us why she and Sprite were painting Sprite’s grey sneakers purple. See https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2016/05/21/purple-sneakers-and-planning-for-the-future/

Apparently Paula was showing Sprite another way of creating a combination of De Bono shoes.

When Sprite told Paula how confused she was feeling about her future career after attending the Careers Expo Night Paula said she would help her investigate some more possibilities.

Sprite is always depicted as having an injured left ankle and needing to wear different shoes on each foot to illustrate the concept that she needs different educational provisions for both her giftedness and her learning difficulties and differences using De Bono’s 6 Action Shoes as the planning method. Every year we hope that the provisions which have been recommended and adopted in the previous year will continue but in the past we have often found that situations change and the measures had to be re-evaluated.

At the start of this year (See https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2016/01/18/flocks-and-shoes/ ) Sprite was wearing one orange gumboot representing stop gap measures to cater for her giftedness and a walker boot representing stop gap measures to cater for her difficulties.
She had recently had the plaster cast removed when the eligibility criteria for a support program changed. Because Sprite was working at above grade level she was not eligible for some of the supports.
But although she was not wearing the supporting plaster cast her problems were still present.

Sprite had worn her formal navy blue shoe which represents the formal gifted program she is enrolled in on her right foot and a soft pink slipper on her left when she attended the Careers Expo.

She found that most of the careers that flowed on naturally from the gifted program and the tertiary qualifications needed to pursue them seemed to be as formal as the formal navy blue gifted programs.
Sprite was left feeling that she had to make a decision right now and then follow a set course which would determine all her study subject choices. She was worried about making the wrong choice and not being able to change.
And she also told Paula that she felt as if the people manning the various career booths were looking at her pink slipper and judging her – thinking she would not be able to keep up with the fast paced advanced studies that were the hallmark of the formal blue shoe program studies if her disabilities meant she would need to wear a pink slipper. Paula had reassured her that they were probably not thinking anything like that at all! They were just there to give out information about the careers and courses – not to predetermine the suitability of the students.
“I don’t want to choose right now. I just want to find out all about lots of different careers without being judged for asking about them.” she said “I wish I could put on two blue formal shoes but I cannot do that.”
“You need the Investigative Grey Sneakers for your fact finding” Paul said “Are you able to wear both of those?”
“Yes – if I leave the Velcro straps on the left one open. But would you be able to come with me to the next Career Expo and help me sort through all the information, please?” Sprite asked.
“Yes. We are going to try a different approach to Combinations then” Paula had said.

Combinations

In De Bono’s 6 Action Shoes theory you can have subtle variation in the planning resulting from applying the 6 shoes by varying the colours
Combinations can be used to
1.Provide a balanced combination
2.Provide alternatives in an uncertain situation
3.Modify a situation

 Combinations Type 1
Combinations can be the result of changing the colour of the pair of shoes
In this way you have 36 possible types of action with six of them being the pure versions and the other 30 subtle variations.
Here is the chart of possibilities for the Blue Formal shoes.
Each of the other types has a similar set of variants.

Image Jo Freitag

Combinations Type 2
Combinations could also be the result of wearing shoes of varying type with a different style on each foot and would lead to action plans which are a blend of both.

Image Jo Freitag

Sprite is accustomed to wearing the Type 2 combinations of De Bono’s 6 Action shoes. For example sometimes she wears a Blue Formal shoe or a Grey Sneaker on her right foot and the Plaster Cast or a Pink Slipper on her left foot.

Image Jo Freitag

Paula thought that it would be good for Sprite to also experience Type 1 combinations so she proposed colouring Sprite’s grey sneakers purple so that they would represent investigations with the assistance of a mentor.
She was able to reassure Sprite that these days it is much easier to change courses or even change careers than it was in the past. Now you do not have to decide on one forever career.
Paula also pointed out that often when students have been accelerated they encounter the careers planning subject earlier and may not be legally old enough to participate in the practical job experience aspect which makes evaluating the different careers harder.

Image Jo Freitag

This has been a belated post on the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum May Blog Hop Preparing for Their Future: Parenting Gifted Teens and Tweens

To follow the blog hop go to
http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/blog-hops/preparing-future-parenting-gifted-teens-tweens/

Flocks and Socks

Image Jo freitag

When we returned from the GHF January 2016 blog hop on the theme ‘Educating gifted children: The many ways we approach their learning’ a giggling Imaginational Dabrowski greeted us.

“It should not be Flocks and Shoes” he declared “It should be Flocks and Socks because that sounds better.”

Sprite often cannot get a shoe on her left foot so Imaginational had composed some guidelines to help her select appropriate socks.

Here is a game to help you choose
Which socks to wear with De Bono shoes
With shoes of a formal navy blue
Wear formal socks of a similar hue
With sneakers of investigator grey
Wear what colour you want and come out to play
With sensible shoes of a sensible brown
Wear  sensible socks that do not roll down
With gumboots the colour of safety orange
Wear  any colour – they all look strange
With caring slippers fluffy and pink
Wear fluffy pink socks (but not if they stink)
With riding boots of imperial purple
Whatever you wear you are sure to hirple!

“PURPLE rhymes with hirple, meaning “to limp” or “walk awkwardly”.  Intellectual told me that! “Imaginational added.
“So what did you learn on the blog hop?”

These are the posts we visited and the comments we left

Building Your Gifted Learner: Throw Your Plans Out the Window ~ Atlas Educational (Lisa Swaboda)

The adjectives we use to describe our lives as parents of gifted children are often polar opposites which can conflict with each other, often in the same day, within the same moment. The analogies and aphorisms describe some sort of sanity-stealing life surging us up and then sucking us down, way down. Often. Daily. Hourly.

My comment: I love this analogy to the architect and builder! So many gifted students are autonomous learners who just want the opportunity to learn at their own pace and in their own way!

Creating an Unschooling Environment for my 2e Kids ~ Gluten-Free Mum (Kathleen Humble)

As much as I would love to be able to say ‘you can do whatever you want’ and let it happen (with me strewing and facilitating, but having the kids in charge), it hasn’t happened. Instead, we have taken a lot of slow, small steps in that direction, and have had to treat it as more of an end goal than a blueprint.

My comment: I love these methods and strategies you have developed – especially the idea of New Day. Thank you for sharing them.

Educating Gifted Children ~ Homeschooling Hatters (Care Martin)

We already know about homeschooling and how we apply it here in our Mooselandia home, and other people will talk about public schooling and how it does or doesn’t work for them, but there’s another option – one we’d not taken before, and one that I wanted to share today.

My comment: Online webinars can be such a great way for gifted kids to learn and experience interacting with like minds from around the world, I am so glad Mad Natter enjoyed the class so much. Ms Madeline sounds like such a wonderful teacher/mentor!

Educating Gifted Children: Learning to Let Go ~ My Little Poppies (Caitlin Curley)

Sometimes gifted children and public education do not mix. The thought of educating a gifted child can be completely overwhelming. It gets easier when you learn to let it go and listen to your gut.

My comment: Thank you for sharing how you started your homeschooling journey. It has several points in common with our story.

It is hard to let go of the expectations you had for their education but so wonderful when you find freedom!

Five Minute Math ~ Empowering Parents to Teach (Sheana Johnson)

To supplement our children’s public school education, I began giving them Five Minute Math after school. This is a simple way to help a gifted learner maintain math skills without loading on too much extra work after school.

My comment: This sounds like a way to make maths seem like fun rather than a chore. Thank you for sharing it!

Flocks and Shoes ~ Sprite’s Site (Jo Freitag)
Choosing a school is always a big decision but it is even more complex when choosing an education method for gifted children.
Considerations include type of education- public school, private school, religion based school, alternative philosophies, Montessori style, Reggio Emilia, homeschooling
For the folk at Sprite’s Site the search for an ideal education can be expressed as Flocks and Shoes.

Homeschooling Gifted Children | Meeting Asynchronous Abilities~ Raising Lifelong Learners (Colleen Kessler)

Gifted kids are asynchronous. Their development is uneven and out-of-sync compared with age peers. This often makes them feel very different when it comes to age-based school expectations. This is also why boxed, or grade-level based, complete curriculums rarely work well for them. Instead, parents need to get creative…

My comment: Great post about ways to cater for the varied needs of asynchronous learners!

The Loneliness of Homeschooling a Gifted Child ~ Sallie Borrink Learning

Sometimes things seem so obvious in retrospect. The loneliness of homeschooling a gifted child is one of those truths that somehow escaped me until recently. I realized it feels a bit like I’m going down a never-ending rabbit hole of moving further and further out of the norm in terms of our homeschooling. And the further you move away from the mainstream, the lonelier it becomes.

My comment: This is a brilliant post Sallie!
I am sure it will encourage people who are feeling that they are all alone.

“Poke the Box”: Inviting Students to Wonder and Initiate~ The Fissure (Ben Koch)
If set expectations and the fear of failure are the gravity that keep us in an orbit of the familiar, than I like to think of curiosity as the one force strong enough to break us free from that orbit. The rocket fuel to leave the atmosphere of Planet Status Quo.

My comment: I love the idea of embracing creative play and encouraging students to be curious, to experiment, to investigate and to ‘poke the box’ Thank you for a great post!

This has been a review post for GHF January 2016 Blog Hop ‘Educating gifted children: The many ways we approach their learning’
http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/blog-hops/educating-gifted-children-the-many-ways-we-approach-their-learning/

Image Tara Hernandez

 

Flocks and Shoes

Image Jo Freitag

The Gifted Homeschoolers Forum January 2016 blog hop has the theme ‘Educating gifted children: The many ways we approach their learning’

In about two weeks Victorian students will begin the 2016 school year.
Choosing a school is always a big decision; but it is even more complex when choosing an education method for gifted children.
Considerations include:
*type of education- public school, private school, religion based school, alternative philosophies, Montessori style, Reggio Emilia, homeschooling
*ease of travel to school
*what specific provisions are made for gifted students? Is early entry / acceleration an option? What enrichment opportunities do they offer? Are the provisions offered full time or a once a week extra?

A list from the Davidson Institute of suggested questions to ask prospective schools can be found at http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10403.aspx

Information about acceleration can be found at Acceleration Institute http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/

For the folk at Sprite’s Site the search for an ideal education can be expressed as Flocks and Shoes

Image Jo Freitag

The Tweet Family

The Tweet family worked through these questions with the help of the Psych-Owl-Ogist in 2012
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/finding-the-right-flock/
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/finding-the-right-flock-2/
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/08/18/finding-the-right-flock-3/
They eventually decided to continue their NEST Ed (Nest Education System of Training) program despite the challenges associated with that choice
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/socialization/
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/socialization-2/
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/qualified-to-teach/

Image Jo Freitag

Sprite
We have been on a quest with the help of Dr Ed Needs the (fictional) Education Consultant to find the ideal education for 2E Twice exceptional student Sprite within the school system, supplemented by extra activities and holiday programs.
We also found Paula, the Physicist to be a mentor for her.

We are using De Bono’s 6 Action shoes as the tool for planning and we road test them on Gagne’s DMGT (Differentiation Model of Giftedness and Talent) road from innate giftedness to fully developed talent.
This has been our experience with the various types of education represented by the shoes
Orange gumboots https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/09/15/orange-gumboots/

Pink slippers https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/pink-slippers/

Grey sneakers https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/grey-sneakers/

Blue formal shoes https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/blue-formal-shoes/

Purple riding boots https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/purple-riding-boots/

Brown brogues https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/brown-brogues/

More shoes https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/more-shoes/

One size shoe cover system https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/de-bonos-6-action-shoes-9-one-size-shoe-cover-system/

Plaster cast https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/casting-sprites-education-in-a-new-form-part-1/

It is also sometimes necessary to employ the strategies of S.C.A.M.P.E.R. in order to modify teaching methods for Sprite.

Every year we hope that the provisions which have been recommended and adopted in the previous year will continue but in the past we have often found that situations change and the measures had to be re-evaluated.

So until this year’s provisions for Sprite are settled she is wearing one orange gumboot representing stop gap measures to cater for her giftedness and a walker boot representing stop gap measures to cater for her difficulties.

This is a post for the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum January 2016 blog hop
Educating gifted children: The many ways we approach their learning
To read more posts please visit http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/blog-hops/educating-gifted-children-the-many-ways-we-approach-their-learning/ 

Image Tara Hernandez

INKtober

 Every October, artists all over the world take on the InkTober drawing challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month. Jake Parker created InkTober in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavour with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year. Read all about the rules of InkTober and the materials to use at the website http://mrjakeparker.com/inktober

Last year I took the InkTober challenge and joined in with INKed, a group of ink artists on Facebook where I have a folder of my ink drawings. We had a list of suggested topics which we could use if we wished. I used the daily prompts but also used the month to make ink portraits of the characters on Sprite’s Site blog https://spritessite.wordpress.com/

This is the picture of the Sprite’s Site community which resulted from Inktober 2014

Image Jo Freitag

The topics suggested by the INKed group for this year, which I decided I would use, were:
There are no themes for INKtober but if you are stuck and can’t think of anything to draw, please feel free to use these prompts to help you with ideas.

1. Zodiac
   2.Birds
   3.City
   4.Hare/hair/hairy
   5.Ship
   6.Moon
   7.Sea Creatures
   8.Collection
   9.Exaggerated perspective
   10.Something from space
   11.Balloons
   12.Elephant
   13.Shoes
   14.Lions, Tigers and Bears
   15.House
   16.Pirate
   17.Family Portrait
   18.Movie/Book Title
   19.Mythical Creatures
   20.Happiness
   21.Clocks
   22.Fence
   23.Cemetery
   24.Weather
   25.Butcher
   26.Bugs
   27.Green
   28.Carriage
   29.M
   30.Camera
   31.Halloween

Day 17 Theme was Family Portrait.

This is the picture of the Sprite’s Site community which resulted

Image Jo Freitag

Other pictures inked this year which will be useful for illustrating Sprite’s Site blog are

Day 13 Shoes

Image Jo Freitag

Day 15 House

Image Jo Freitag

Sprite was quite offended to see that I had used a picture from 1 June 2015  of her to illustrate Exaggerated perspective on Day 9

Image Jo Freitag

But the Twitter Birds were pleased to see Twitter Bird pictures on Days 18 22 and 30

This is the composite picture made up from all the pictures for each day of INKtober this year.

Image Jo Freitag

The Signpost 1

Image Jo Freitag

I have decided to accept Lisa Rivero’s challenge to write 30 blog posts for the month of September. I intend to try to add 10 posts to each of my 3 blogs during the month of September. Sprite’s Site will feature posts about posts!

The signpost is one of the landmarks on Sprite’s Site.

The Sprite’s Site Signpost is the marker at the crossroads in the centre of the Feetspeak: 2E Shoes Quest Map.
The Quest Map is a mind map which provides an overview of the Feetspeak: 2eshoes program

Feetspeak: 2E shoes is about planning programs that will be suitable for gifted students who also have a learning difficulty or different learning style using Edward De Bono’s 6 Action Shoes as the planning tool. http://www.giftedresources.org/gr/feetspeakforweb01a.htm

Image Jo Freitag

In Sprite’s mind the roads are called Shoes Road and DMGT Road.
Shoes Road leads to Edward De Bono’s 6 Action Shoes and DMGT Road leads to Prof Francoys Gagne’s Model of the development from natural ability to fully developed talent.
She calls the other end of DMGT Road Fund Road because that was where she had to go to find out whether she would be eligible for any funding, special considerations or assistance.
The other end of Shoes Rd is what Sprite calls Plan Rd; because it was there that strategies for building an education plan for her could be found. Sprite always wonders whether DMGT Road and Plan Road meet each other somewhere behind the distant hills.
It could be reasonably extrapolated that if the plans made on Plan Road were suitable and were pursued to their conclusion that Plan Road and DMGT Road would indeed meet up.

The crossroads was also the scene of a virtual picnic held by the GTStoogies a group interested in issues relating to gifted and 2E students in 2011
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/a-picnic-at-the-intersection/

 

When participating in Best Australian Blogs competition in 2013 Sprite installed a different signpost and gave tours of the blog highlighting her participation in social media, webinars, blog hops and her local real life situation https://spritessite.wordpress.com/tag/best-australian-blogs-2013/

This is a post for Lisa Rivero’s challenge to write 30 blog posts for the month of September. To read all about her challenge see http://www.lisarivero.com/30postshathsept/

White Poodle, Black Poodle

Image Jo Freitag

Sprite is very fortunate to have Paula, the Physicist as a mentor.
Not only does Paula share Sprite’s passion for astronomy, but she has also overcome the same learning difficulties that Sprite has and gained tertiary degrees.

Paula has been encouraging Sprite to accept the accommodations and extra support she needs and not to feel embarrassed about wearing one pink slipper when necessary.

But Sprite is still often reluctant to wear the pink slipper.
“People might say if I am clever enough to be in the gifted group I should not need any extra help” Sprite told Paula. “And if I do put on the pink slipper they might say I am faking and just looking for attention and that I can do well enough without it.
And some of the programs I was in last year have not continued this year.”

“So I wear the Can Do sandals or the Investigative grey sneakers and just try to do my assignments perfectly without any extra help but Intellectual Dabrowski brings me SO MUCH information that I cannot deal with all of it and then P’est Pour Parfait, the Perfectionist Poodle says what I have done is not good enough. He says I should have written more and that I have made spelling mistakes.
And he says to hurry because it has to be finished and handed in at the end of the lesson but not to hurry so much that I make more mistakes. And I get so tired that I just want to stop work and go home.”

Paula identified two issues from this conversation with Sprite.
She suggested that it was time to visit Dr Ed Needs, the education consultant,
again for a review of Sprite’s progress and recommendations for further provisions.

And she asked Sprite an interesting question.
“What colour is P’est Pour Parfait, the Perfectionist Poodle?”

“He is black” Sprite told her. “His coat is always very shiny and perfectly groomed with not a hair out of place.”

The next time Paula visited was after Sprite’s appointment with Dr Ed Needs.
Sprite was convalescing at home after an operation (more about that in another post) and she was sporting a new cast. Dr Ed had organized more formal support measures for her.

“In a way it is a relief” Sprite told Paula “because now I don’t have to worry about the pink slipper. But all this testing and therapy seem to be taking so long!  How long will it be before everything is perfect?”

Sprite is very fortunate to have Paula as a mentor!
“I have found” Paula told her “that being 2E is not something that goes away or that I could outgrow. But there have been people to support me and programs to help and I have still managed to be quite successful in spite of my difficulties. I would like to share some of those things with you. One day you will be able to do the same for someone else.”
And Paula had brought a gift to cheer Sprite up. It was a white soft toy poodle wearing a purple coat and purple framed sun glasses.

“I thought it would remind you of our time we have together because of the purple coat which is like the Purple Riding Boots Mentor Program” she said.

Image Jo Freitag

“And also it will remind you about what I am going to share with you now.
Poodles can be white as well as black and, in the same way, perfectionism can be both positive and negative.
Dr. Linda Silverman says that perfectionism is the root of excellence and the driving force that propels toward the attainment of higher goals.

She also discusses perfectionism in an article Perfectionism: The Crucible of Giftedness which you can find at http://nmgifted.org/GAC%20Resources/Perfectionism%20The%20Crucible%20of%20Giftedness-SILVERMAN.pdf

Perfectionism can be a negative force when it causes you to procrastinate or prevents you from participating for fear of not excelling or if it causes you to never be satisfied with any effort and never feel that you have done well enough.

Some people say that no human can ever be perfect or create anything which is perfect because this is an attribute only of the Divine. In fact artists from Eastern traditions have been known to purposely include a slight flaw in their work.

That is why White Poodle is wearing sunglasses – so that he will not dazzle himself with his own brilliance!
White Poodle is here to remind you that it is great to strive for excellence and to attain the ecstasy of being totally in the state of Flow described by Csikszentmihalyi in 1990.
But White Poodle is also cautioning you to be gentle with yourself and not let the negative aspects of perfectionism rob you of your joy.

 

This is a post for the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum May Blog hop Perfectionism and Other Gifted/2E Quirks.
To read posts from others please go to
http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/blog-hops/perfectionism-gifted2e-quirks/

2E is

The topic for the Hoagiesgifted May Blog hop is 2E kids www.hoagiesgifted.org/blog_hop_2e_kids.htm

So I asked Sprite to tell me what being a 2E kid means to her and here is her response and links to some websites, articles and resources.

If Gifted = Asynchronous Development, then Gifted/Special Needs = Asynchrony Squared by Lee Singer
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/asynchrony_squared.htm

Cherry Creek Schools Twice exceptional Distinguishing characteristics
http://www.cherrycreekschools.org/StudentAchievement/Documents/2EDistinguishingCharacteristics.pdf

 

Columbus Cheetah mythbuster http://www.giftedresources.org/gr/columbuscheetah.htm

Underachievement https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/gifted-under-achievers/

https://spritessite.wordpress.com/tag/debono-6-action-shoes/

http://www.cherrycreekschools.org/StudentAchievement/Pages/TwiceExceptional.aspx

https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2014/11/15/new-shoes/

Dr Linda Silverman says so in The two-edged sword of compensation : How the gifted cope with learning disabilities

 

Accommodations https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/pleading-the-pink-slipper/

Mentors https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/purple-riding-boots/

https://spritessite.wordpress.com/about-the-characters/

Doggy classroom dynamics https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/doggy-classroom-dynamics/

2E newsletter
http://www.2enewsletter.com/

Hoagies Gifted Twice Exceptional resources page
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/2e_exceptional.htm

Gifted Homeschoolers Forum Twice Exceptional resources page
http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/resources/twice-exceptional/

This post part of the Hoagiesgifted May blog hop
To read all the posts go to www.hoagiesgifted.org/blog_hop_2e_kids.htm

 

 

 

 

Pleading the Pink Slipper

Image Jo Freitag

“You remember how Wistful Black Dog said I should blame forgetting to acknowledge the Psych Owl Ogist in the presentation on my learning difficulties” said Sprite
“He said that I should Plead the Pink Slipper. What did he mean by that?”

Dr Ed Needs, the Education Consultant, has given recommendations for Sprite’s education using the Feetspeak and De Bono’s 6 Action Shoes method of planning.

It includes opportunities for her to be accelerated in some subjects (do the most sensible thing brown brogues), to undertake research projects in her areas of passionate interest (grey sneakers) to have time with a mentor (purple riding boots) and to participate in some formal gifted withdrawal programs (blue formal shoes) at the same time as she receives the support she needs for her areas of weakness (the plaster cast and other aids) and the social/emotional and pastoral care issues will be addressed (pink slippers)

This means sometimes using Combinations of the De Bono 6 Action Shoes and Sprite wearing a different type of shoe on each foot. Sometimes she wears a Blue Formal shoe or a Grey Sneaker on her right foot and a Pink Slipper on her left foot.
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2014/11/15/new-shoes/

Pink Slipper action planning leads to programs which take into consideration doing what is caring and compassionate and paying attention to feelings and sensitivities.
The possible Pink Slipper programs for Sprite could include programs that focus on social / emotional needs, pastoral and spiritual care and coping strategies. They could also be service clubs, environmental concern groups and fundraising programs.
Some of the programs are very helpful and necessary as support programs but most of them do not actually offer curriculum content.
The pink slippers could also represent special provisions such as additional time to complete a task or dictating to a scribe.
https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/pink-slippers/

Sprite loves her De Bono 6 Actions Shoes Pink Slippers and has several pairs of them. She keeps a pair at school and has some at home. But she is quite self conscious about wearing just one pink slipper.

Sprite’s Can Do Adjustable Velcro strap sandals are not part of the De Bono 6 Action Shoes set but they provide the necessary adaptability and flexibility. Sprite likes the Can Do Sandals because they allow her to fit in and hide her difficulties so that she appears to be an average student.

Image Jo Freitag

 

There are some times that Sprite cannot cope with wearing two Blue Formal Shoes, two Grey Sneakers or even two Can Do Adjustable Sandals and needs to wear a pink slipper on her left foot.

There are times when wearing one pink slipper is obviously the wisest and most suitable choice; for example when she needs the provisions and care of the Pink Slipper programs in order to be able to master the challenges of Blue Formal Shoes or Grey Sneaker Programs.
Sometimes one Pink Slipper is actually part of the modifications recommended by Dr Ed Needs using the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. method https://spritessite.wordpress.com/2014/11/15/new-shoes/

Image Jo Freitag

 

Sometimes Sprite decides herself that she will ignore her embarrassment and wear one pink slipper.
At times it is because she rightly knows that she will not be able to manage without it.
She will often wear one pink slipper when going into a new program or class as an indication to the teacher that she may not be able to manage all the formal requirements and may need modifications

On other occasions it is her perfectionism and anxiety that prompt her to wear one pink slipper so that she has an ready-made excuse if her performance is not up to expectations..

At times she just wants to avoid taking risks, challenges, boring tasks or difficult situations and wears one pink slipper to garner sympathy and claim exemption. I call that Pleading the Pink Slipper.

Because Sprite’s intelligence allows her to compensate for her learning difficulties she does not appear to need any extra provisions or remediation.  It is sometimes difficult to tell whether Sprite is ‘Pleading the Pink Slipper’ and it can cause misunderstandings with her teachers. She has been accused of faking.
It is something that Sprite wrestles with too. Imposter syndrome can kick in and make her feel that maybe she is not really gifted. If she really were gifted maybe she should not need any extra provisions. She mistakenly feels that she should just put on the Can Do Adjustable sandals, blend in and manage as well as she can without any concessions.
Fortunately her Purple Riding Boots mentor, Paula the Physicist, has overcome similar difficulties and encourages Sprite to accept help when needed and not to be concerned about wearing one pink slipper.

People who know Sprite well would know that if she is wearing one pink slipper it is usually because she really does need it or feels that she needs it and has had to overcome her reservations and embarrassment to do so.

It is much easier to tell when she is Pleading the Pink Slipper at home.
A few days ago I overheard Sprite talking to Intellectual Dabrowski.
“I am just going to sit here and read a novel and eat chocolate.”
“What do you mean I am malingering?”
“It really does hurt!”
“It is just a coincidence that there is homework to do and I don’t want to do my chores.”

Image Jo Freitag

New Blue Boots

Image Jo Freitag

I had called into Sprite’s Site to deliver the pair of soft blue boots like Sprite Doll Number 1’s pair that Sprite had requested. I anticipated that she would probably also want to have a pinafore like both Sprite dolls are wearing.

The Dabrowski Dogs and P’est Pour Parfait, the perfectionist poodle (who considers himself to be the arbiter of fashion taste), gathered round to inspect the boots.

Imaginational expressed his approval of them. “These boots seem to be a happy combination of several of the De Bono 6 Action shoes.
They are blue like the Blue Formal Shoes but they are soft like the Pink Slippers  and they are boots like the Purple Riding Boots. They provide both support and comfort.”

Intellectual added “Sprite knew a good thing when she saw it. People should be more prepared to listen to gifted and 2E students when they voice their opinions about their needs!”

“Meanwhile Psycho Motor Dabrowski was bouncing near the sign announcing the upcoming GHF Blog Hop for March which will be on the topic ‘A Day in the Life of a Gifted Homeschooler’.

“You seem to be so busy and you were away for such a long time last month that I didn’t know whether you would come back in time. So I am interviewing Retweet about what her NEST Ed day is like and then you just have to write it” Sprite said.

Image Jo Freitag

New Shoes

I am happy to be able to relate that after our last meeting Sprite’s teacher has been enthusiastic about acting on Dr Ed Needs’ recommendations and has set up an Individual Education Plan for Sprite.

Using the Feetspeak and De Bono’s 6 Action Shoes method of planning the programs, it will include opportunities for her to be accelerated in some subjects (do the most sensible thing brown brogues), to undertake research projects in her areas of passionate interest (grey sneakers) to have time with a mentor (purple riding boots) and to participate in some formal gifted withdrawal programs (blue formal shoes) at the same time as she receives the support she needs for her areas of weakness (the plaster cast and other aids) and the social/emotional and pastoral care issues will be addressed (pink slippers)

This will mean using Combinations. The result of wearing shoes of varying type with a different style on each foot would lead to action plans which are a blend of both.

So now Sprite will be wearing combinations of De Bono’s 6 Action shoes. For example she can wear a  Blue Formal shoe or a Grey Sneaker on her right foot and a Pink Slipper or a plaster cast on her left foot.

“I realized during the PD session that Sprite is like a lame cheetah” the teacher said.
“And I could see that she should not be denied the opportunities to receive a challenging and engaging education.”

She is also employing the strategies of S.C.A.M.P.E.R. in order to modify her teaching methods for Sprite.

One of the programs in which Sprite is participating is a Philosophy group called Sage Thyme. She is very excited about it as she has always thought deeply and loves to discuss and debate. And she loves her glittery new Smartfit blue formal shoe.

The only concern is that these provisions are being made so late in the year.
Will they continue next year?