IUPUI’S SPAN PROGRAM –FROM A PARENT’S
PERSPECTIVE
Is SPAN right for your son or daughter?
How can you tell if you have a student who might thrive in SPAN?
We’ve assembled some traits that might indicate that your child’s
present educational situation is inadequate:
-Does your child achieve a high grade point average with little work?
-Does your student complain that their classes are just boring, busy
work or that their teacher is poorly prepared? Are they tired of being
“spoon fed” a high school education?
-Does your child report that they are relearning the same information
that was covered in a previous class?
-Does your student seem to lack academic ambition? Do they have
fluctuating grades?
-Is your student unwilling to complete routine assignments? For
example, can they get nearly straight A’s on test, quizzes and in
classroom work, but then get zeros for refusing to turn in “pointless”
homework?
-Do your child’s national test scores indicate that they are
exceptional, but the school system treats them as just regular run-of-
the-mill students?
-Does your child excel in one subject area, but perform comparatively
poorly in another academic area?
-Is your home schooled child looking for additional challenge? Has he
or she mastered even the best materials available?
-Has your student participated in a gifted program and still finds the
material boring and unchallenging?
OK. What about what we’ll call “personality types?” Does your child
exhibit any of these behaviors?
-Is your child a perfectionist?
-Does your child play down his or her intelligence to fit in socially
with friends? (More often girls seem to do this.)
-Do they find the juvenile behavior of their fellow high schoolers
emotionally exhausting?
-Does your child continually explore new subjects, hobbies, sports or
other activities and then lose interest and move on, just as they begin
to master those new skills?
-Does your child seem more emotionally mature than classmates?
-Is your child self-motivated? Does he/she find the pace of learning
too slow and ask for more of a challenge?
-Is your child a “risk taker”? Bright kids, even those who don’t get
identified as such by their school, will find a way to entertain
themselves. The danger is that in their quest, they may find
inappropriate avenues to explore. This could lead to risky lifestyles,
extreme sports, or dangerous hobbies. Finding an educational
challenge instead may divert them from trouble.
If you’ve answered “yes” to some of the above questions, then it’s
possible that you have a gifted child who is a perfect SPAN
candidate. “Why didn’t you realize it sooner?” you may ask. Well, don’
t blame yourself – often-bright kids keep it hidden just under the
surface.
PERSPECTIVE
Is SPAN right for your son or daughter?
How can you tell if you have a student who might thrive in SPAN?
We’ve assembled some traits that might indicate that your child’s
present educational situation is inadequate:
-Does your child achieve a high grade point average with little work?
-Does your student complain that their classes are just boring, busy
work or that their teacher is poorly prepared? Are they tired of being
“spoon fed” a high school education?
-Does your child report that they are relearning the same information
that was covered in a previous class?
-Does your student seem to lack academic ambition? Do they have
fluctuating grades?
-Is your student unwilling to complete routine assignments? For
example, can they get nearly straight A’s on test, quizzes and in
classroom work, but then get zeros for refusing to turn in “pointless”
homework?
-Do your child’s national test scores indicate that they are
exceptional, but the school system treats them as just regular run-of-
the-mill students?
-Does your child excel in one subject area, but perform comparatively
poorly in another academic area?
-Is your home schooled child looking for additional challenge? Has he
or she mastered even the best materials available?
-Has your student participated in a gifted program and still finds the
material boring and unchallenging?
OK. What about what we’ll call “personality types?” Does your child
exhibit any of these behaviors?
-Is your child a perfectionist?
-Does your child play down his or her intelligence to fit in socially
with friends? (More often girls seem to do this.)
-Do they find the juvenile behavior of their fellow high schoolers
emotionally exhausting?
-Does your child continually explore new subjects, hobbies, sports or
other activities and then lose interest and move on, just as they begin
to master those new skills?
-Does your child seem more emotionally mature than classmates?
-Is your child self-motivated? Does he/she find the pace of learning
too slow and ask for more of a challenge?
-Is your child a “risk taker”? Bright kids, even those who don’t get
identified as such by their school, will find a way to entertain
themselves. The danger is that in their quest, they may find
inappropriate avenues to explore. This could lead to risky lifestyles,
extreme sports, or dangerous hobbies. Finding an educational
challenge instead may divert them from trouble.
If you’ve answered “yes” to some of the above questions, then it’s
possible that you have a gifted child who is a perfect SPAN
candidate. “Why didn’t you realize it sooner?” you may ask. Well, don’
t blame yourself – often-bright kids keep it hidden just under the
surface.
| About IUPUI SPAN Program- Is SPAN right for your teen? |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| An early college high school for the virtually unlimited student. |