Dr. Erinn Fears Floyd

Dr. Erinn Fears Floyd is a Gifted Education, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Scholar who serves as Director of Training and Partnership Development for The Consortium for Inclusion of Underrepresented Racial Groups in Gifted Education (I-URGGE).

Dr. Floyd is former Director of Professional Learning for the National Association for Gifted Children and State Director of Gifted Education for the Alabama Department of Education. She has over twenty-eight (28) years of experience as a Classroom Teacher, Grade Level Leader, Gifted Specialist, School Improvement Specialist, Alabama Reading Initiative-Project for Adolescent Literacy Coach, District Gifted Education Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and state and national education leader. She has provided professional learning for educators and school leaders in Alabama, nationally, and internationally.

Dr. Floyd is an inaugural recipient of the National Association for Gifted Children’s Dr. Mary Frasier Teacher Scholarship for Diverse Talent Development. Dr. Floyd is a member of the Board of Trustees for her alma mater the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Dr. Floyd is Founder of Equity and Excellence in Education, LLC, which provides professional learning and academic support to educators and students.

Please join us for this event! 
You are invited to a Zoom webinar. (Link leads to the event in the GHF Forum – Member Content)
When: July 16, 2021 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Increasing Racial Equity in Gifted Education Programs with Cultural Responsiveness and Social Justice

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GHF Membership is our primary source of income for this non-profit. GHF has no full-time staff and we are just looking to cover our costs. Your $49.99 membership is your way to support GHF so that we can continue to serve our community. The membership discounts are there to help you recoup the cost of your membership fee. Please visit these vendors and save.

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Suki Wessling, writer and educator.

When I was raising my own children, I learned about the special education approach of teaching to strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses. Ever since, this has been my approach, and I believe it results in more confident, self-directed learners.

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Suki Wessling is a writer of widely published poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. She has worked as a college English teacher, small press publisher, graphic designer, and journalist. Suki writes about gifted children, education, and homeschooling, with an emphasis on serving the emotional and academic needs of unusual learners. Her books, From School to Homeschool (Great Potential Press) and Exploring Homeschooling for your Gifted Learner (National Association for Gifted Children), introduce parents seeking alternative educational approaches for their gifted children to the basics of homeschooling. Her book, Homeschool with Confidence, is a goal-setting guide for teens that she uses in connection with her online goal-setting courses for teens. Suki is also the author of Hanna, Homeschooler, a chapter book. Suki teaches writing, literature, and education classes for children and adults in person and online at Athena’s Advanced Academy. She writes a blog about learning for children at http://kidblog.sukiwessling.com/ and one for adults at http://blog.sukiwessling.com/.

Please join us for this event! 
You are invited to a Zoom webinar. (Link leads to the event in the GHF Forum – Member Content)
When: September 17, 2021 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Teaching to strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses with Suki Wessling

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Join GHF to enjoy these interviews and more

GHF Membership is our primary source of income for this non-profit. GHF has no full-time staff and we are just looking to cover our costs. Your $49.99 membership is your way to support GHF so that we can continue to serve our community. The membership discounts are there to help you recoup the cost of your membership fee. Please visit these vendors and save.

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David Chandler, High School Math and Physics Curriculum.

High school level physics and math are about learning how to think analytically. For that it is important to have a teacher who is himself or herself an actively engaged problem-solver as a mentor and role model. It’s not about just learning a collection of techniques and it’s definitely not about memorization. It is about deep understanding and creative thinking.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am David Chandler, author of the Home Study Companion series. I love to teach physics and mathematics!

PortraitEducation: I have a BS in Physics from Harvey Mudd College (individual program of studies combining physics and engineering), an MA in Education from Claremont Graduate University, and an MS in Mathematics from Cal Poly University.

Teaching Experience: I have taught physics, mathematics, astronomy, and computer programming for over 35 years in public, private, international, and charter schools and community colleges since the early 1970’s. In the last nine years before I retired, I taught at Eleanor Roosevelt Community Learning Center, a K-12 charter school that works with homeschooling families. Working with homeschoolers led me to see the need for course materials that replace the classroom experience. At this point I have taught more students in my retirement than in my regular teaching career.

One of my more interesting projects at Eleanor Roosevelt was designing a mixed grade level course called Math Explorations (for 2nd grade through Jr. high) to stimulate curiosity and encourage mathematical thinking. Math Explorations involved “precursor activities” that don’t necessarily look like mathematics. We did puzzles, mazes, perspective drawing, distorted photographs, and a lot of other fun and fascinating stuff. It’s not about math skills, narrowly defined. It’s about how the brain is wired! This is the kind of thing I could do at a charter school working with homeschoolers that I couldn’t possibly get away with in a conventional public school. I took a similar approach for several months as a “math columnist” for the online Schoolhouse Teachers program, except this time at the high school level. A few of my Math Explorations projects can be seen under the Bonus Topics tab.

I have frequently put mathematics to work outside the classroom, including working as a programmer, inventor, product designer, and consultant. I really do use math on a daily basis apart from teaching! Mathematics is a wonderful tool that enhances the potential for both creativity and fundamental understanding of the world.

Please join us for this event! 
You are invited to a Zoom webinar. (Link leads to the event in the GHF Forum – Member Content)
When: June 18, 2021 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Learning how to think analytically with high school level physics and math with David Chandler

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Join GHF to enjoy these interviews and more

GHF Membership is our primary source of income for this non-profit. GHF has no full-time staff and we are just looking to cover our costs. Your $49.99 membership is your way to support GHF so that we can continue to serve our community. The membership discounts are there to help you recoup the cost of your membership fee. Please visit these vendors and save.

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Carla Van Devander, Director, Program for the Exceptionally Gifted. Transitioning your gifted teen to college.

PEG is a highly selective program for gifted girls age 13 to 16 in the MBU College for Women. Highly motivated 16 and 17 year olds of either gender who are ready for college, but may not be a perfect fit for PEG, should check out our Early College program.

Carla Van Devander has been teaching in the MBU College of Education since 2012, including offering coursework on instructional differentiation and exceptionalities. Prior to her full-time role at MBU, Carla served as a differentiation specialist for Staunton City Schools, with her recent experience there focused on gifted and academically motivated adolescents. Active in the community, she is the co-creator and coordinator of Opportunity is Knocking, an award-winning event that brings together local colleges, industry, and the school system to provide families with important college, skilled trade, and career information.

Carla holds a BA degree in history from George Mason University, her teaching credential from Mary Baldwin, and the MEd in Curriculum and Instruction and Instructional Strategies from Eastern Mennonite University. In addition to serving as director of PEG, Carla is a faculty member in the College of Education and coordinator for the Education Leaders Learning Collective.

Please join us for this event! 
You are invited to a Zoom webinar. (Link leads to the event in the GHF Forum – Member Content)
When: May 21, 2021 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Transitioning your gifted teen to college. Carla Van Devander, Director, Program for the Exceptionally Gifted

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Join GHF to enjoy these interviews and more

GHF Membership is our primary source of income for this non-profit. GHF has no full-time staff and we are just looking to cover our costs. Your $49.99 membership is your way to support GHF so that we can continue to serve our community. The membership discounts are there to help you recoup the cost of your membership fee. Please visit these vendors and save.

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What is Mindful Digital Life in 2021?

A global pandemic has dramatically changed many families’ relationship with the online world and digital media. We’ll explore well-being, friendship, connection, play and learning while social distancing and living even more of our lives online. 

Claudia L’Amoreaux works at the intersection of education, technology, and well-being. A fearless early adopter, her education + technology consulting practice focuses on the Future of Learning. She provides vision, strategy, and content for a wide range of learning initiatives. Claudia has supported young people and their families for 20+ years with her Learning Conversations.

Please join us for this event! 
You are invited to a Zoom webinar. (Link leads to the event in the GHF Forum – Member Content)
When: March 19, 2021 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Expert Series Educators: Claudia L’Amoreaux, Educational Consultant and Coach – What is Mindful Digital Life in 2021?

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Join GHF to enjoy these interviews and more

GHF Membership is our primary source of income for this non-profit. GHF has no full-time staff and we are just looking to cover our costs. Your $49.99 membership is your way to support GHF so that we can continue to serve our community. The membership discounts are there to help you recoup the cost of your membership fee. Please visit these vendors and save.

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