Special Edition | Seth Pozzi -  Head of School

7 Benefits of Investing in the WHPS Elementary Education

What's in it for your family?

Let’s be honest, many of us bought (or rented) homes in this part of the city because we've heard the public schools are good. It’s true, this is a fairly affluent area, and most of the kids in local public schools seem to be doing fine academically. If that's the case, what's in it for you family when you invest in a WHPS education? Here are just a few benefits of coming on this adventure with us.

As a former public school teacher, I’ve seen the different ends of the spectrum, and I believe WHPS offers the most balanced education you’ll find in schools across Los Angeles. For families not already in the elementary division, I hope you can make it to one of our January tours to learn more about what’s in it for your family if you choose to go on this adventure with us!

Embrace the Struggle

Have you heard the story of the little boy who helped a butterfly emerge from his chrysalis? As the story goes, the boy watched his beloved caterpillar as it grew and eventually created its chrysalis. He watched intently as the butterfly poked a hole in the chrysalis and began struggling to make his way out. Seeing the butterfly struggle was too much for the boy. He ran and got a small pair of scissors. Carefully he made the small hole bigger, making it easier for the  butterfly to emerge. Sadly, the butterfly’s wings were shriveled, its body swollen, and it spent its life crawling around unable to fly. You see, the struggle is necessary for the butterfly to develop, to be strong and to fly.  

Just like the boy and the butterfly, parents often metaphorically 'cut open the hole’ protecting their child from disappointment, frustration, or pain. In fact, today’s parents go to great lengths to ensure their child is shielded from discomfort. 

As with the butterfly, though, young children need to struggle and experience frustration, disappointment and even pain. It is in learning how to deal with these setbacks that your child will develop critical lifelong coping skills, perseverance, creativity, resilience and the ability to ‘bounce back’.

In short, “Parents see failure as a sense of pain for their child instead of an opportunity for him to say ‘I can deal with this. I’m strong.’ says Madeleine Levine, psychologist and author. As a parent, one of the greatest gifts you can give your little one is the belief that they are strong and powerful and they can handle this! Visit the short article, How to Empower Your Kids When They Struggle, where Nicole for some useful tips to help your child at any age.

Giftedness

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Many parents believe that their child is “gifted.” As parents, we always want to see the very best in our children and, of course, want to highlight their areas of strength. Students with high abilities bring many unique strengths and contributions to their school environment, but parents and teachers need to understand that their educational adventure will not be without struggle. 20-25% of our students are identified as a “gifted” learners, which isn’t surprising, given our curricular choices and school philosophy. Read more about the components of a quality gifted program. 

The Good

For gifted learners, many cognitive abilities (memorizing, recalling, or thinking abstractly about subject matter) will come very easily. Gifted learners will have particular areas of ability unparalleled by peers. These learners have so much to add to class conversations and can elevate the level of inquiry learning. 

The Bad & The Ugly...

3 Challenges Gifted Children Face

At WHPS, we know that putting students in a position where they will never face challenges is a disservice to their growth and social emotional development. We strive for our students, gifted and otherwise, to experience healthy struggles, build resiliency, and feel the success of working hard to reach their individual goals.

#1     Asynchronous Development
Most gifted learners experience asynchronous development, which means their intellectual, physical, and emotional development don't occur as in sync as with typically developing children (learn more about asynchronous development).

#2     Perseverance vs. Frustration
These learners can be more easily frustrated when an area doesn’t come easily.
For example, a student may be reading at a 6th grade level in 4th grade but writing at a 2nd grade level. They can read and comprehend at a highly sophisticated level, but they may be very frustrated with their ability to output information.

#3     Anxiety
Gifted learners can experience higher levels of anxiety than their typically developing peers. Often, they can cognitively understand difficult concepts such as death and social justice, but may not have the life experience to handle these concepts.
My favorite example is the child who can tell you every dinosaur from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods but then feels anxious that another asteroid will come and wipe out the humans. They will literally lose sleep due to worry!

Giftedness 101 Parent Workshop

Rest assured, we are in this together. Please join us on Wednesday, January 29th for our Giftedness 101 parent workshop.

At the workshop, we will learn about what giftedness truly means and hear from professionals who specialize in working with gifted learners and their families. After the workshop, there will be future opportunities to sign up for SENG Model parent groups or learn about Odyssey of the Mind. I look forward to continuing our adventure together in the new year!