Turning the PAGE Podcast

The following sessions were recorded at the PAGE conference, Gifted 24/7: Sparking Creativity to Support and Advance our Gifted Kids, November 7-8th in Pittsburgh.For our first guest, you will meet Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D., the founder of ‘With Understanding Comes Calm’. She is the author of Gifted and Distractible Understanding, Supporting, and Advocating for Your Twice Exceptional Child – a practical, research-based guide that demystifies giftedness and learning differences to help “twice exceptional” children thrive. She is also the Producer of Let’s Talk 2e conferences and a mom of 3 twice-exceptional children. Today she shares the highlights from her keynote session.Learn more: www.WithUnderstandingComesCalm.comOur second guest is Genein Letford. She is an award-winning educator, best-selling author, and international speaker on the Intercultural Creativity® and NeuroSomatic Creativity®. As a TEDx speaker and top neuro-creativity keynote speaker, she has inspired many leaders and educators to be aware that their brain influences their cultural lenses and creative abilities to produce innovative ideas for the classroom and workspace. She is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of CAFFE Strategies, LLC which trains administrators, educators, and employees to unleash their Intercultural Creativity® for themselves and in their classrooms. Today she also shares the highlights of her keynote session from the Gifted 24/7 conference.Learn more: https://geneinletford.com/

In this session, Charlton Wolfgang shares information about opportunities for gifted learners at the Honors College at Millersville University. Charlton explores the foundation and pedagogical approach of the Honors College, while exploring how it differs from the traditional college experience. He goes on to share advice for parents and future students, as well as discuss the future initiatives of the program and upcoming offerings. This session provides many details about the outstanding education that the Honors College offers its students. https://www.millersville.edu/honorscollege/Dr. Charlton Wolfgang, the Director of MU’s Honors College as of May 12, 2023, advises and works with students in the Honors College as well as advocates for the program. Dr. Wolfgang is an Associate Professor of Gifted and STEM Education at Millersville University, where he has taught since 2015. He also serves as the coordinator of the graduate programs in Gifted Education at MU. He earned a BS in Biology from Messiah College in 1993, a teaching certificate in Secondary Education from Lebanon Valley College in 1997, a Master of Science Education from Lebanon Valley College in 2002, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership Development and Learning Technologies from Drexel University in 2013. He also earned his Principal’s Certificate and Assistant Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility at Drexel University. Dr. Wolfgang’s research interests, publications, and conference presentations have been related to gifted and STEM education, with a particular focus on twice-exceptional learners, the integration of technology, and the impact of the pandemic on gifted education. Dr. Wolfgang looks forward to continuing to broaden connections between students in the Honors College both on campus and in the greater community, including internationally.

In this session, Matt Levin explores the Gifted screening and evaluation process leading to the first Gifted Individualized Education Plan (GIEP) from the administrative perspective. These questions are geared toward parents and teachers who are seeking a 'back to school' refresh of these processes.Matthew (Matt) Levin is a school administrator and strong advocate for gifted education. Matt received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University in 1995. He completed his graduate degree in School Psychology and educational certification at Eastern University in 1999. Matt began his professional career 25 years ago as a school psychologist in the Pennsbury School District (located in Lower Bucks County). Through a number of leadership opportunities as a school psychologist, Matt became interested in gifted identification procedures and programming. After completing his administrator coursework and certification in 2019 at Immaculata University, Matt became a supervisor of special education and gifted programming at Pennsbury. For his gifted work, Matt currently provides supervision to a staff of 20 professionals supporting over 700 students in programming from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Matt’s membership affiliation with PAGE is not only linked to his profession; he is a proud parent as well. Matt resides in Jamison, PA with his wife Andrea and his sons Sean and Ryan.

Back to School Bundle episode: Dr. Gail Post shares her advice for a successful start to the school year. This episode shares Dr. Post's helpful and informative checklists that aid parents and teachers as they embark on a new year with their gifted children and students.Gail Post, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist, author, and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In practice for over 35 years, she provides psychotherapy for gifted adults and teens, parenting consultations, and workshops for parents and schools. As the parent of two gifted children, who are now young adults, Dr. Post served as co-chair of a PAGE affiliate, which she participated in from its inception through her children’s graduation. Her writing includes hundreds of articles for online and newsletter publications, her long-standing blog, Gifted Challenges, and articles about mental health and wellbeing for Wise & Well. She has authored several book chapters, along with her recent book, The Gifted Parenting Journey: A Guide to Self-discovery and Support for Families of Gifted Children. She can be reached at www.gailpost.com.Resources:https://www.giftedpage.org/back-to-school-tips-for-young-children/https://www.giftedpage.org/back-to-school-tips-teens/https://www.giftedpage.org/back-to-school-tips-teachers/

Our next guest, Dave Mendell, Board President of PAGE, discusses many topics about our organization! Listen as he leads us through PAGE initiatives, teaching and learning opportunities, the benefits of PAGE membership, upcoming events such as the PAGE Conference, and many more topics of discussion! Dave's leadership role as President of PAGE is one of Servant Leadership (Greenleaf, 1970). It embodies serving others and leading with a motivation to see others succeed through the empowerment and organizational support that positions them for success in their roles. Dave embodies this framework and we are grateful for his leadership!

In today’s podcast session, you will gain insight into how a version of the school wide enrichment model can work within a program that supports gifted students, including all levels of learners who benefit from enrichment. The Schoolwide Enrichment model was designed by Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis. Today’s guest, Dr. Melissa Survinski shares her experience with a hybrid version of the schoolwide enrichment model. Dr. Survinski explains how the service delivery components are implemented through her district’s use of personnel and resources to support student strengths, curriculum modification, and enrichment learning techniques. She shares how this benefits her students (and teachers) greatly. For more information about the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM), please use the following reference links:The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A focus on student strengths and interests:https://renzullilearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-Schoolwide-Enrichment-Model.pdfResearch That Supports Using the Schoolwide Enrichment Model and Extensions of Gifted Education Pedagogy to Meet the Needs of All Students: https://renzullilearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SALLY-SEM-Research.pdfRenzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development:https://gifted.uconn.edu/schoolwide-enrichment-model/

Welcome to the 'Turning the PAGE Podcast'!What is 'Gifted Burnout'?https://www.davidsongifted.org/gifted-blog/burnout-in-gifted-children/Like other experiences of burnout, gifted kid burnout is the result of long-term stress. It is often characterized by physical exhaustion, mental fatigue, and emotional detachment. It can be brought on by juggling too many roles, having little control, or having few to no breaks. Gifted kid burnout adds a new dimension to the burnout experience because of their unique neurological makeup. Their perfectionism, asynchronous development, and over-excitabilities may feed into the burnout experience in a way that increases the intensity or duration of burnout.The definition of gifted child burnout is chronic exhaustion that stems from a mismatch between the individual and their current educational environment. Gifted child burnout is often tied to an educational system that the child finds repetitive, unrewarding, without autonomy, unfair, or not aligned with their values. Gifted kids may also experience burnout due to the unique sources of stress in their lives and the expectations that come with being gifted.Signs of Burnout in Gifted Students:-Student feels cynical towards work, teachers, classmates, parents, and the whole school experience-The student is disengaging from favorite topics and interests-Student feels a sense of dread each day around going to school, clubs, or other activities-Student experiences more frequent anxiety or panic attacks-The student has a change in sleeping and eating habits-Student feels overwhelmed or helpless by small setbacks-Student has more headaches, digestive issues, or other physical ailments-Student is withdrawing from friends and family-Student is unmotivated to the point of being unable to complete chores, assignments, or social obligations-The student feels a sense of futility, hopelessness, or pessimism toward their futureOur guest today, who happens to be a highly motivated and committed senior from my district, Larsen, recounts the 'many faces' of gifted burnout.

Dr. Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik is one of the most important voices for acceleration in the education world. She shares her expert advice in this PAGE podcast. 

Dr. Sally Reis shares her valuable insight into the challenges facing gifted education and gifted learners. Her compassion and scholarship are needed now more than ever. 

Dr. Kali Fedor and Ciminy St. Clair talk about the upcoming conference, to be held November 4th & 5th in the Pittsburgh, PA area.

Lawyer and educator Colin Seale shares his passion for learning as a Keynote Speaker at our upcoming conference. Listen as he explains what it means to "think like a lawyer," and how that can have positive implications in the classroom for all children. 

 In this new podcast from PAGE, meet Bobbi Portnoy. New to the board, but not new to gifted education, Bobbi brings her experience in education and in a unique business venture to our organization. 

An Introduction to PAGE Board Member, Betsy Gustafson