Thread: Would it be insulting to receive a teaching book?

As a new teacher I might be insulted by that yes, as it would seem to imply that my newness means I am not a good teacher. My children think I am a wonderful teacher. Now my other half has been at it longer so it may not be insulting. Get to know a teacher before you give such a gift that's my advice.

maybe you could refer to the book in conversation and mention that you found some of the ideas very interesting. the teacher may request to borrow the book for themselves if you sound really enthusiastic about it.

I would do several things, depending on the situation. Is this the same school you've been at? When you say they don't have a "gifted program," what do you mean? Do you mean they don't pull gifted kids out of the regular classroom, or that they have no district or site policies about identifying and serving gifted kids, or no teachers trained to work with gifted kids, or?

I would want to know about the school's policy, and the district's policy, and state laws concerning serving the needs of gifted kids.

Does the school cluster gifted kids? Do they have any documentation, any plan that identifies needs and systematically addresses them?

In my district, we have a district-wide identification process, we have, by law, a district-wide GATE plan plus individual site plans, and we train teachers. All teachers are trained to look for characteristics to identify kids with. All identified kids have a yearly plan, similar to an IEP, developed by the teacher and parent together. Teachers conference with families to design a plan, report on progress, evaluate the plan, and set new goals on a regular basis. Our district offers training for teachers working with gifted kids. And all service happens in the regular classroom; we don't pull them out. That doesn't mean that all our gifted kids get what they need, but they've got a fighting chance!

So...I would want to know where your district stands. Do they receive funding from the state for serving gifted kids? If so, what is their school/district plan for doing so?

Can you ask for a conference to set goals to meet your child's needs? It sounds like you have a good relationship with the teachers. You could let them know that you would like to see the curriculum compacted, and offer ideas at a conference, then see what the response is. I personally wouldn't mind a parent giving me a book, if it had information new to me that would help me serve my students. But I do know teachers that wouldn't take that well, and it would get the relationship off to a rocky start. Relaxed, friendly conversations in the spirit of partnership might be the place to start.