(This reply was written originally as guidance for a mother who was raising a "gifted" child. I believe you may find it relevant to your own organization and development. As with everything, question authority and take these words with a grain of salt.)
I am 50 years old and have been labeled gifted since early childhood. I recently joined mensa and am learning about the formalities of managing my intelligence.
I attended public school in the US. I required speech therapy (a long story, but essentially I could think much faster than I could speak. Beginning around the age of ten, I received permission from my teachers to work independently and was permitted to structure my own time as long as I also completed studies on time.
This continued through high school.
I persued my interests in electronics and communications during adolesence and my teen age years. I wasn't college bound, I apprecnticed as a cabinetmaker and earned a living for 15 years as a furniture maker/antiques conservator.
I entered college when my son was five and ready for school himself. I studied electrical engineering and co-enrolled in the school of education to become certified as an elementary school art teacher.
Since then I have worked for a national public radio affliate as a broadcast engineer, usatoday as a satellite receiving earth station engineer, and as a director of apple computer technology in higher education.
Presently I write educational courseware and license my work to schools and businesses.
Based on my experience the following resources should prove helpful to you:
Access-help him become familiar with the diversity of resources available to him (schools, libraries, the web, museums, people, books, places, experiences, conciousness, spiritual studies, health, games, play, physical education and experiences such as sports, gardening, sandbox play, mountain clibing, swimming, etc.)
people-show him patience and understanding so he may share with other people. help him recognize everyone has a story to tell and experiences from which we can learn.
organization-help establish and maintain a work/study area for him, including a desk, worktable, supplies, library, idea scrapbook, portfolio, bulletin board, chalk board, etc. encourage him to keep a daily journal/scrapbook/idea book/picture book/scrapbook. help him maintain a file cabinet with folders for topics representing his past, present, and future interests.
correspondence-help identify people whith whom he shares interest and encourage him to write and correspond. I have shared correspondence with the inventor of the polaroid camera, several electrical engineers, authors, newspaper journalists, broadcast journalists, lawyers, and medical doctors.
discussion and debate-engage your son in discussion and debate about what he's doing, about what people he knows are doing, about current affairs and news, and right and wrong, about believing in yourself and in others, about parenting and about being a child.
understanding-help your son develop understanding by comparing and contrasting his knowledge and experiences with similar and different knowledge and experience. help him recognize the layers of perception, the context of perception, and how understanding deepens in time as we acquire additional experience and knowledge.
perspective-encourage him to review his journal, to practice comparison between then and now, to recognize the forces and energies, and tensions which contribute to change and eveolution. help him trust his insight as he reviews his experience and forms understanding.
arts-remember to help him get his hands dirty, to be frustrated working with uncooperative materials and mediums, and how we are perfect as imperfect human beings. the point of art, to me, is to play, experiement, imitate, emulate, and innovate. the messier the better in the beginning as long as we learn to clean up after ourselves.
crafts-developing the disciplines of cabinetmaking, drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpting, weaving, assembling, disassembling, reassembling wi
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(This reply was written originally as guidance for a mother who was raising a "gifted" child. I believe you may find it relevant to your own organization and development. As with everything, question authority and take these words with a grain of salt.) I am 50 years old and have been labeled gifted since early childhood. I recently joined mensa and am learning about the formalities of managing my intelligence. I attended public school in the US. I required speech therapy (a long story, but essentially I could think much faster than I could speak. Beginning around the age of ten, I received permission from my teachers to work independently and was permitted to structure my own time as long as I also completed studies on time. This continued through high school. I persued my interests in electronics and communications during adolesence and my teen age years. I wasn't college bound, I apprecnticed as a cabinetmaker and earned a living for 15 years as a furniture maker/antiques conservator. I entered college when my son was five and ready for school himself. I studied electrical engineering and co-enrolled in the school of education to become certified as an elementary school art teacher. Since then I have worked for a national public radio affliate as a broadcast engineer, usatoday as a satellite receiving earth station engineer, and as a director of apple computer technology in higher education. Presently I write educational courseware and license my work to schools and businesses. Based on my experience the following resources should prove helpful to you: Access-help him become familiar with the diversity of resources available to him (schools, libraries, the web, museums, people, books, places, experiences, conciousness, spiritual studies, health, games, play, physical education and experiences such as sports, gardening, sandbox play, mountain clibing, swimming, etc.) people-show him patience and understanding so he may share with other people. help him recognize everyone has a story to tell and experiences from which we can learn. organization-help establish and maintain a work/study area for him, including a desk, worktable, supplies, library, idea scrapbook, portfolio, bulletin board, chalk board, etc. encourage him to keep a daily journal/scrapbook/idea book/picture book/scrapbook. help him maintain a file cabinet with folders for topics representing his past, present, and future interests. correspondence-help identify people whith whom he shares interest and encourage him to write and correspond. I have shared correspondence with the inventor of the polaroid camera, several electrical engineers, authors, newspaper journalists, broadcast journalists, lawyers, and medical doctors. discussion and debate-engage your son in discussion and debate about what he's doing, about what people he knows are doing, about current affairs and news, and right and wrong, about believing in yourself and in others, about parenting and about being a child. understanding-help your son develop understanding by comparing and contrasting his knowledge and experiences with similar and different knowledge and experience. help him recognize the layers of perception, the context of perception, and how understanding deepens in time as we acquire additional experience and knowledge. perspective-encourage him to review his journal, to practice comparison between then and now, to recognize the forces and energies, and tensions which contribute to change and eveolution. help him trust his insight as he reviews his experience and forms understanding. arts-remember to help him get his hands dirty, to be frustrated working with uncooperative materials and mediums, and how we are perfect as imperfect human beings. the point of art, to me, is to play, experiement, imitate, emulate, and innovate. the messier the better in the beginning as long as we learn to clean up after ourselves. crafts-developing the disciplines of cabinetmaking, drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpting, weaving, assembling, disassembling, reassembling wi