Min-Ling is a Program Coordinator at 优蜜视频 and works most closely with our , through which she meets and interacts with many gifted high school students. Before coming to 优蜜视频, she was a high school mathematics teacher.

Going off to college is probably one of my best and most anxious memories. At that point in time, it seemed that all of my prior education was in preparation for this milestone. As a first-generation college student, the plethora of tasks to complete for college applications was overwhelming. I recall that my mom, who completed 6th grade in China before immediately beginning to work, advised me that I had completed all the hard work and all that was left was to communicate my story to people whose actions and opinions we had no control over. My dad, who graduated with a Master鈥檚 Degree from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, simply gave me a stern look, smile and nod of encouragement when the subject of college was spoken of. Needless to note, 鈥渧ini, vidi, vici鈥� (I came, I saw, I conquered), and tada!

That was 10 years ago, and I was curious about how students in our 优蜜视频 community view higher education now. I have the privilege of working with highly gifted and mature youngsters, and with their help I compiled some of their thoughts, expectations, anxieties, and aspirations about higher education. By sharing this data, I hope to provide information and comfort, tell their stories and compel higher education and the world to prepare for this creative, curious and free-natured group of young adults. I asked students ages 13 through 18 amongst our community of Caroline D. Bradley Scholars, Apprentices and Yunasa Emerging Leaders and Counselors in Training about their outlook on higher education. The data from the 40 respondents is featured below. Thank you to all those who contributed!

Expectations

When asked, 鈥淚n what ways do you hope learning as a young adult will be different from high school?鈥�, 80% of students used the words 鈥渇ree,鈥� 鈥渇reedom鈥� and 鈥渁utonomy鈥�:

• 鈥淚 hope that there will be more freedom involved. I like to believe that I am a very independent and intellectually bold thinker, and I know that I apply myself better to long-term projects than busy work. So, I hope that there will be less busy work and more projects/papers to engage with.鈥�
• 82% of students responded similarly to this student, yearning for greater depth and relation to solving problems that affect the world: 鈥淚 hope that as a young adult I will be able to learn more about the things that matter to me. In high school we often talk about topics that do not interest me, or we talk about topics too shallowly. I hope to be able to learn with greater understanding and purpose.鈥�
• Students also expressed a need to learn based on their pace: 鈥淚 hope to have more freedom to choose what I learn and to be able to make my own choices regarding the course material and pace as opposed to having to follow strict guidelines.鈥�

When asked, 鈥淚n what ways do you hope learning as a young adult will be similar to high school?鈥�, all students expressed wanting diverse, passionate and inspiring teachers and peers, with responses like:

• 鈥淗opefully it will be just as easy to befriend the people around me, and the classes and my peers will be able to challenge me academically and personally.鈥�
• 鈥淚 have been fortunate to be around many top teachers and students and hope to continue enjoying the chance to work with similarly talented people.鈥�

Getting There: Anxieties

Many students expressed that the daunting task of completing applications for college will be the toughest part of the application and selection process. Students also commented that their difficulty in choosing a major leads to difficulty in choosing a college. The prospect of maintaining a high GPA is always on their minds as well.

Students are also concerned about a variety of factors that go beyond the application process, including:

• Not being accepted into top choice schools (50%)
• Taking on a significant amount of debt to pay for a degree (45%)
• Not receiving enough financial aid to attend a top choice school (37%)
• Choosing a college that turns out to be a bad fit (37%), with several respondents emphasizing outside pressures and expectations placed on them

After attending a public high school, I was surprised by my college tuition and the cost of maintaining a life away from home. The concerns above and the chart of responses below indicate that our students seem to have a good sense of how much college truly costs.

College: Where, What and How?

Students strive to achieve, at a minimum, the degree programs below.

The majors students were most interested in pursuing were primarily in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, though many students (41%) were interested in majors in both STEM and humanities fields.

When asked about their 鈥渄ream鈥� colleges 鈥� assuming acceptance and cost were not factors 鈥� many students listed 3-5 colleges. This chart demonstrates which schools were mentioned most frequently:

One student responded with a particularly insightful answer: 鈥淢y 鈥榙ream college鈥� would be where I could personalize everything to my interests, from classes to social life, to dorm. I’d also like to make a smooth, worriless transition into a stable job after college, so having connections/internships as part of programs would definitely be a plus.鈥�

Respondents also told me the states in which they would like to live as young adults, which can have an influence on their college choice. California, Massachusetts, and New York were favorites.

Our highly gifted middle school and high school students are revving up for learning more beyond their current settings. They are aware of their challenges and practical in their approach, but is the world offering what these students need?

As I interact with these students, I can see their potential to be leaders and innovators, but as always they need the support and learning opportunities to hone their knowledge and skills. At 优蜜视频, we hope that we are helping these students pursue their dreams and accomplish their aspirations and that we are helping educators understand what these students need to do so as well.

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Min-Ling is 优蜜视频鈥檚 Coordinator. She joined 优蜜视频 after teaching high school mathematics in Los Angeles. Her dedication to supporting high-potential students is rooted in her own experiences as a student who struggled to find outlets that nurtured her intellectual and social dispositions.

Amelia is a 10th grader who attends a small private school in Northern California. She enjoys singing and dancing, as well as reading about the universe and diving into the intricacies of supernovae. Amelia is self-motivated but often finds that her school and the courses offered do not satisfy her curiosity in the arts, math, and sciences. The content to learn within her school is often shallow, and completing assignments of knowledge-gathering is baffling to her, as she can find the answer with taps on a keyboard and Wikipedia. She despises memorization. Amelia is respectful. With that said, she follows her enthusiastic and inspiring teachers as they 鈥渃over material鈥� which she masters quickly. Amelia is an example of a gifted child within 鈥淎merican schools [that] pledge to educate everyone and expose students to a wide variety of topics鈥� (Davidson, 2004). Amelia鈥檚 needs are oftentimes overlooked.

Providing safe and nurturing learning environments for gifted students is often difficult when the student seeks services within educational spaces that are not aware of the needs of gifted youngsters. As the coordinator for a gifted program and a teacher of general education students, I have gained knowledge and experience from my interactions with teenagers. Being an advocate is pivotal in my responsibility to offer the best learning environment for gifted students.

Understanding the needs of a gifted teenager

Advocating for a gifted teenager will require one to look at how we evaluate a valuable learning opportunity. 鈥淎 gifted, creative child needs [his or her] creativity honed and trained鈥� (Davidson, 2004). Gifted and creative students need options to dive deeply in content and insights from experts to develop passion. They often feel pressures to achieve or not achieve based on structures in place to support their development. As a supporter of a teenager, being open and flexible to his or her passions is vital. Asking questions that qualitatively investigate learning experiences rather than quantitatively evaluating success will motivate students to find their passion. It鈥檚 nice to feel you have room to learn and then decide if you would like to continue with the path.

Clear communication of needs

To communicate as an advocate, one must look to the student. Seeking inherently higher intellectual simulations and communicating the needs socially and emotionally of the teen will be a critical component of being an advocate. Listening and observing will be the greatest part to communicating what teenagers may need for their learning. 鈥淭he construct of meaningfulness, challenge, choice, interest, and enjoyment, have been shown to be central to learning鈥� (Gentry & Springer, 2002). While keeping this criterion in mind, asking observational questions of educators in the youngster鈥檚 life will help identify his or her needs. Oftentimes having a to help guide the teenager will enable the needed growth of a gifted student. Having a content expert develop a professional relationship with the student and give constructive criticism will give a youngster real-world working skills.

Be willing to compromise

As an advocate, one will need to work with various people. Finding the best fit for a gifted teenager will require discussion and planning with the youngster, mentor, educators, and family. When there are many vested interests and experts working to find or provide the best opportunities, it might not fit the vision of everyone, but keep the youngster and his or her need for enriching experiences in mind. Ellen Winner writes about gifted children and their 鈥渞age to master,鈥� in other words, their willingness to do what they are passionate about for hours each day until they find their level of mastery (Whalen, 2000). Sometimes the path of a gifted teenager is unconventional, but keeping the youngster鈥檚 needs in mind will help construct and execute the best fit.

Reflection

Continuous consideration and assessment of learning experiences will identify the strongest approaches to nurturing a youngster. Advocating for a teenager will require a subjective reflection of the teenager鈥檚 desires and needs as he or she nears adulthood, 鈥渓ooking at gifted children, first and foremost, as the unique beings that they are rather than the eminent adults the might someday become鈥� (Delisle, 2014).

References:

Davidson Institute for Talent Development. (2011). Web. 25 Sept. 2014.

Whalen, Sam. 鈥淪ustaining 鈥楾he Rage to Master鈥�: A Conversation with Ellen Winner.鈥� The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, Spring 2000.

Gentry, Marcia, and Penny Mork Springer. 鈥淪econdary Student Perceptions of Their Class Activities Regarding Meaningfulness, Challenge, Choice, and Appeal: An Initial Validation Study.鈥� The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, Summer 2002.

Davidson, Jan, Bob Davidson, and Laura Vanderkam. Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting our Brightest Young Minds. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

Delisle, James R. Dumbing Down America: The War On Our Nation鈥檚 Brightest Young Minds (And What We Can Do To Fight Back. Waco: Prufrock Press, 2014.

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This post is part of the Hoagies鈥� Gifted Education Page October Blog Hop on Gifted Advocacy.

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Min-Ling is 优蜜视频鈥檚 Apprenticeship Program Coordinator. 优蜜视频’s links gifted high school students from across the country with mentors who advance each participant鈥檚 skills through the application of knowledge and exposure to real world experiences. These life lessons in personal and intellectual development are invaluable to their growth and assist them in making pertinent connections for the future.

鈥淓verything you can imagine is real.鈥� Pablo Picasso

I had the honor of spending seven weeks 鈥� a time that has magically flown by 鈥� alongside wonderful students whom I could not get enough of. Their passion and diligence radiated all around them, and I watched each of them grow over the course of the summer. I feel privileged to have been witness to not only their physical growth (hair and height) but to the development of their perseverance and the bloom of their self-confidence.

As an 优蜜视频 Apprentice, students must possess an innate desire to learn and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Driven by these characteristics, each Apprentice worked alongside eminent professionals, becoming a vital part of a research team and/or project. These opportunities posed challenges that gifted students typically do not face in the classroom. The unique difficulties posed by the need to acquire as much knowledge of a subject as possible in an effort to become a productive contributor and by entering into professional cultures they had not yet experienced helped each student develop a newfound maturity. Doctors, research scientists, lawyers, and I comprised the team of mentors who committed to providing support for the Apprentices as they began to mature intellectually and socially, and we provided opportunities for them to learn and to succeed on their own laurels.

Apprentices cultivated relationships with each other and found the acceptance and the strength they needed to conquer the challenges they faced. After each arduous work day, dinner was the time when they shared their struggles to comprehend complex science jargon, algorithms, design techniques, and intricate medical procedures, all the while discussing their experiences with hot wire cutters and petri dishes. Somehow, dinner conversations always culminated in discussions about who they were rooting for on MasterChef or the games they planned to play back at the dorm.

During the evenings and on weekends, Resident Advisers and I engaged the Apprentices鈥� teenage selves. In an effort to bridge asynchronous highly able minds with their adolescent emotional and psychological needs, we played Pictionary, bowled, went ice skating, and attended a baseball game. Many of the kids also completed summer AP assignments, and many watched a Harry Potter marathon. Astonishingly, I watched each of the Apprentices achieve balance.

At this time last year, I could only dream of these young adults, who have now exceeded all of my expectations. It is now time to plan for next year鈥檚 program, and I can only imagine who the phenomenal students will be that take part in Apprenticeship 2015.

See photos from Apprenticeship 2014!

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Growing up alongside my older sister and younger brother, I knew I was different from other kids. They played and studied with a little bit of a carefree nature, whereas I was almost always overly inquisitive, constantly asking 鈥渨hy?鈥� and 鈥渉ow?鈥� When I started elementary school in America as an English language learner, it was difficult for me to communicate this same curiosity. I asked the same questions, and teachers would often speak to me slower, ask me to re-read or, if available, send me to a volunteer translator with no content knowledge to find the answer. Finally, in the third grade, I was tested in the Los Angeles public school system and identified as gifted. I remember going to school on a Saturday morning and meeting a nice lady who insisted I be 鈥渘atural.鈥� I vividly remember the pattern on the circular carpet I walked around and around as she asked me questions in Cantonese and English.

The path through sixth grade was blissful. I became more and more acclimated to my classmates, and I had an extra special GATE teacher, Ms. Shannon Garrison, who satiated my curiosity once a week. We explored Shakespearian literature and geological sciences and organized the school鈥檚 annual Math Games Day. Through middle school, I procedurally mastered Algebra and skimmed books for the main ideas and overarching themes. In high school, the constant competition amongst my classmates became the purpose of life: who scored better on standardized tests, who had the highest GPA, how many AP courses you took. I went through the motions and graduated high school feeling I learned the art of test taking.

When I started college, I discovered I had retained little of the motivation to learn just because I loved to learn. In those first few semesters, I struggled to settle into a major of interest. Then, at the end of my sophomore year, I met a mentor, Dr. Dylan Rodriguez, who taught with immense passion. He guided me through academic journals in politics, race relations, and statistical analysis. Working with聽individuals like Ms. Garrison and Dr. Rodriguez enabled me to rekindle my passion for learning because I was interested to know more instead of just learning to take a test. Through these individuals, I learned to create systems to find in-depth knowledge and decipher meaning through academic jargon.

After college, I decided I would teach students to have a passion for learning mathematics within urban areas of Los Angeles. All throughout high school, it took extra effort for me to find 鈥渢he easy way鈥� to learn math, and most of my mathematical studies resulted in fifty or more math problems of learning a derivative and/or integral procedure. Math has so many applications and exists because it is literally a needed component of sustaining and discovering life. I had found my purpose in life: to teach, lead, guide, and help students to learn math as a necessity for conceptual application.

Now, as I have the privilege to connect with great minds in Los Angeles鈥� world-renowned research institutions when coordinating 优蜜视频’s along with teaching bright young minds through 优蜜视频’s Self-Paced Math Academy course, I humbly and excitedly continue to learn from and teach our future generations. I hope to not only be an educator but someone who can open the eyes of youth to find their passion and innovate for our future.

Did a teacher or educational experience encourage your child’s natural love of learning? Please share your experience in the comment section below.

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Louise Hindle

A British import, Louise graduated from the University of Manchester with a B.A. Honors Degree in English Literature and Language, completed her post-graduate teacher training at The University of Cambridge, and has recently completed her dissertation in Educational Leadership and Innovation with the University of Warwick. Louise has 20 years of experience in education as a high school literature teacher, lead teacher, administrator, adviser, and consultant. She is also the parent of three fun and active school-aged children. Louise has worked as a consultant with 优蜜视频鈥檚 Academy program and taught the 鈥淪mall, Cerebral, and Stunning鈥� Academy class over the summer. She now joins the 优蜜视频 staff as Academy Coordinator.

What are you looking forward to in working with gifted students as the Academy Coordinator?

When it comes to working with the gifted community, I am most passionate about being able to provide an exciting and intellectually challenging diet of courses for our curious young minds to choose from. The Academy program is still young and has a great foundation in STEM courses. Building it further so that we can also meet the needs of those children who love the arts and literature along with those who are interested in engineering and technology are aspects of the role I鈥檓 keen to shape further.

This only draws attention to the children, though. One thing I have learned this summer in particular is how amazing the parents of our children are 鈥� as advocates of their children, as immensely patient and interested and interesting human beings, and as a source of knowledge for us as an organization. I look forward to getting to know them a bit more and learning from them further.

What was your favorite memory from Academy this summer?

This summer I had a fabulous time teaching my class on the development of the sonnet form. I called it 鈥楽mall, Cerebral, and Stunning,鈥� which in turn became a very fitting description of the young people who took my class. Not only were their questions demanding and insightful, but their ability to connect with sonnets written hundreds of years ago was unbelievable. Every time I read Milton鈥檚 sonnets in the future, I will think of them huddled around, engaged in deep conversations about meanings and historical contexts.

What is your educational philosophy in a nutshell?

As an educator I am committed to Personalized Learning, that is in providing optimally for our students here, both through the accessing of deep content knowledge and through the best pedagogy to suit their individual needs. I believe that teaching is a craft, a craft that can be taught and learned, but one which depends on reflective practice and having a set of clear learning goals for each individual. I believe that we become better as educators by harnessing student voice, by listening to what our students want and need intellectually and emotionally, and then by shaping an education that is rigorous and attuned to this.

What is your favorite snack food?

Green and Black鈥檚 Organic Dark Chocolate any day of the week.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy hiking, surfing, and travelling with my family; going to watch classical theatre; going to concerts; and reading, of course. Since moving here, I鈥檝e become a baseball fan and love going to watch The Dodgers, especially if it involves Friday night fireworks! At the weekend, I love to catch up on Skype with familiar faces from the UK.

Min-Ling Li

Min-Ling joins 优蜜视频 after teaching high school mathematics in Los Angeles for the past two years. She earned her Bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of California, Riverside and is currently working on a Master鈥檚 degree in Mathematics at California State University, Los Angeles. She is excited to cultivate relationships amongst exceptional students and with Mentors prominent in their fields. Her dedication to supporting high-potential students is rooted in her own experiences as a student who struggled to find outlets that nurtured her intellectual and social dispositions. Min-Ling will work primarily with the . She served as a Resident Advisor for Apprenticeship this summer before joining the 优蜜视频 team full-time as a Program Coordinator.

What interests you about working with gifted children?

My passion for working with the gifted community is rooted in my experiences as an immigrant child who was tested and designated as a gifted and talented student in the third grade. Although I struggled with communication because English was my second language, my teachers saw that there was something special with the way I learned and understood concepts. As a gifted student, I had many opportunities within my elementary and middle school to explore various interests in math, science, and music. As I progressed into secondary school, the opportunities began to dwindle, and being from an immigrant family, it was difficult to find other outlets for me to explore. I have decided to go outside of the classroom to help support students who are seeking outlets to fulfill their potential.

What have you learned about gifted students through working with the Apprenticeship Program this summer?

During the summer, I learned that many gifted students need a lot of support in order to maintain and/or increase their drive to perform above and beyond the norm. Through Apprenticeship, I believe we can help students realize and focus their potential while helping them to develop socially and professionally.

What are you looking forward to as a Program Coordinator for Apprenticeship?

I am looking forward to maintaining relationships with past Apprentices and building upon an incredible Apprenticeship Program. I would like to continue to expand our reach amongst students and mentors to encompass many disciplines and various work environments. I think students should explore every walk of life and develop their own understanding of where they might fit into making the world better.

What was your favorite memory from Apprenticeship this summer?

My favorite memories from Apprenticeship are the nights we spent with the Apprentices playing family games such as Pictionary and having movie nights. It gave me the opportunity to learn about the Apprentices in a way beyond what they had achieved academically.

What is your educational philosophy in a nutshell?

My educational philosophy is that every student deserves the opportunity to explore their potential.

What is your favorite snack food?

My favorite snack food is dark chocolate covered almonds. YUM!

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love running and run 5 to 6 days a week. It clears my mind and keeps me calm. I also like being a couch potato to unwind and rest.