Anecdotes from a Parent of Highly Gifted Twins

We started Chemistry and Biology classes with at Accelerated Academics when the boys were 5 years old. Dr. Miller recognized right away that each child had advanced learning abilities and identified them as gifted learners. We went through their curriculum and she identified many areas where we could challenge the boys and advance their learning. I was not knowledgeable about gifted education and Dr. Miller recommended many resources including books, videos, and websites. Many of which I have read multiple times as they have been very impactful for my family. 

The boys are involved in a lot of programs and classes but Dr. Miller is their absolute favorite class and teacher. Dr. Miller has developed their love and passion for the sciences. They have advanced two grade levels in Math and Language Arts since starting in her program. The boys recently completed abilities testing. Dr. Miller was not only spot on in recognizing their learning capabilities but also in identifying their learning styles, strengths and weaknesses. 

Here are some candid pictures from some of our classes. 

Making a DNA Strand from Pipe Cleaners

Science Experiment

Drawing the Aluminum Atom

Learning to Use a Microscope for Biology Class

Learning to Use a Microscope for Biology Class

Field Trip to the San Diego County Fair Plant*Grow*Eat Program

On Wednesday, June 7, four of my students, their parents, and I took a field trip to the San Diego County Fair for the annual Plant-Grow-Eat Program. We came from different locations around Southern California and met each other there in person for the first time.

Blue Ribbon Time. Congratulations Jameson and Abel.

Each of the students from around the San Diego area were provided with materials (seeds, soil, and a planter pot) for growing a radish plant. At the fair all of the students presented their plants and the judges handed out awards for the biggest, healthiest plants. Twins Jameson and Abel were awarded first place blue ribbons for their plants. Maverik was also awarded a blue first-place ribbon, and his sister, Iliana was awarded a second place ribbon.

In the Petting Farm.

We were able to walk around the fair during pre-fair hours and see many farm animals including a petting area where we could feed and pet the goats and some other animals. It was a fun, enjoyable learning experience.

Iliana feeding the goats.

Maverik petting a pig and feeding a goat.

We had a fun day.

Congratulations to 7th Grader Noah Raimo, NHD-CA State Finalist 2022

Congratulations are in order for Noah Raimo, 7th grader at Accelerated Academics for the award he received for his Website Entry, The Alaskan Purchase: Seward’s Folly or … , at the National History Day - Los Angeles Contest that was held on March 14, 2022.

Noah’s Junior Individual Website entry was one of three websites from this category that were selected out of many middle school website entries within the Los Angeles County School District to move on to the NHD-CA State Finals 2022 contest. He has renamed his website, Exchanging Alaska: Wisdom or Folly?, for the upcoming contest. The State Finals will be held on May 6-8, 2022 at William Jessup University in Rocklin, CA.

National History Day, is a year-long educational program that encourages students to explore local, state, national, and world history. Each year, NHD presents a different theme as a lens for students to look through as they select and study their historical topic of interest. This year’s theme was Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences. Noah’s participation in NHD this year was his first. Through this comprehensive program, he has learned many valuable advanced research and presentation skills that he can carry with him throughout his life.

Noah described the reason for his topic selection by stating, “The Alaskan Purchase just stood out, and since I knew gaining more land was a success and the U.S. had to use diplomacy to work out a purchase, it would fit the year's theme, so I started researching it.” Noah also shared how he searched for some of his primary sources regarding the Alaskan Purchase, “I used the Library of Congress webpages to find most of my Primary sources for my project.”

Congratulations, Noah, and best wishes for a wonderful experience as a NHD-CA State Finalist as you showcase your website project about the Alaskan Purchase. We, at Accelerated Academics, are so proud of you and your accomplishments.

— Dr. Jenelle S. Miller, Teacher

Accelerated Academics' Students Tour San Diego Central Public Library →

By Dr. Jenelle S. Miller

Isabel, Fabienne, and Ethan Sparks touring the Central Branch of the San Diego Public Library

Yesterday (Wednesday, September 21, 2017), two of my students from Accelerated Academics and their father/teacher accompanied me to the Central Branch of the San Diego Public Library in Downtown San Diego. The purpose of our visit was for a National History Day (NHD) Orientation, which included a tour with docent David Brands as well as a topic brainstorming session with the Jayne Henn, the manager of the Denny Sanford Children’s Library. My students, Fabienne and Isabel, are gearing up to participate in this year’s NHD competition and wanted to learn how to best utilize the library for their research projects.

The tour of this brand new and very large library by the docent was fascinating and highly beneficial. In addition to learning about the history of the planning and construction of the library, we visited the special collections area, technology rooms, and the teen room; saw where we could utilize group meeting rooms; and met several skilled individuals who will be available to provide us with expert help regarding our research. We also learned that we may use the library’s multi-media technology and 3-D printers for our own projects and that we can access technology experts who are there to assist us when we need help. All of these things and more make this library one to which we definitely plan to return and utilize over the coming days, weeks, months, and years.

When talking to the girls and their father about their experience during the tour, Fabienne exclaimed, “I want to live here!” and Isabel and her father are looking forward to their next opportunity to return and conduct some research. Our docent/tour guide and the children’s librarian have definitely succeeded in inspiring my students to dive in to their research projects with passion.

There are so many purposes to use the resources at the Central Branch of the San Diego Public Library - National History Day is only one of them. We plan to utilize this great resource to its fullest extent. It has everything we could possibly need for an abundance of great educational experiences.

Securing an Appropriate Education for your 2E Student

I found a great article today that I would like to share with you. The article was written by Mark Woodsmall, Esq. to assist 2E families in pursuing and obtaining an appropriate education for your children. Please follow the link below:

Homeschooling: A Beneficial Option for Gifted and Talented Students

Parents typically desire that their children receive an appropriate education that leads to a successful life. Parents of high-ability or profoundly gifted children or children who are twice-exceptional (gifted with disabilities) often struggle with school and district personnel as they advocate for a suitable differentiated education that will meet their students’ academic and socio-emotional needs. Diminished funding resources for gifted programs and the lack of teacher/administrator training and professional development are some of the major issues that negatively affect the public school experience for gifted learners and their parents.

An educational environment undertaken primarily at home for gifted students can provide an unlimited atmosphere for learning, so long as the parent is committed to the process of providing engaging and challenging learning opportunities. Parents of high-ability learners usually understand that their students have a variety of different needs, interests, and strengths. In a homeschool setting some gifted students may prefer to work one-on-one with a parent or mentor, others may thrive with independently accessed accelerated on-line courses or self-directed problem-based learning. Furthermore, the daily homeschool program can be customized to fit the needs of the learner who is highly talented in areas where they need flexible schedules to practice and compete in physical activities (i.e. dance, gymnastics, equestrian, ice skating, tennis, golf, skateboarding, etc.).

Parents who desire to take on the role of homeschooling often feel daunted by the unknown circumstances of where to begin; and they may worry that they are not qualified to teach their children. These noble parents would benefit from the support and guidance of a professional educator who is trained in gifted education and who oversees a private school satellite program (PSP) for homeschool families. This professional could help parents understand how to effectively personalize and individualize the educational experiences of their gifted children. Additionally, opportunities for parents to gain confidence by learning a variety of teaching strategies from this educator and for networking with other homeschool parents within the PSP could play a major role in the success of the overall homeschool experience.

References:

"Homeschooling the Gifted Learner." Position Papers. California Association for the Gifted, 21 Nov. 2004. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. <https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/cagifted.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/docs/position09hg.pdf>.