The most difficult part of my job is deciding, amongst so many applicants, who gets a program or not. I get many phone calls and emails from both parents and teachers as to why their student did not get in.
I wish that I could service all the students! That is and will always be my goal. However, the Challenge Centre is funded for three days a week, so I can not possibly meet the demand for services. Generally, I have between 30-60 applicants on the wait list, per program. In the past, I had capped programs at 12 students, and this year, I have been slowly increasing each program to accommodate 13-15 students.
So, how do I decide? There isn't a magical answer, and what I take into consideration is a variety of factors. There is no egalitarian way in which to decide, as I have to factor in whether or not the child has ever been serviced, or on the wait-list before, how many applications are received from their school, and have I ever seen students from their school before. I have to weigh that against the need of the child for the program, as I read each application carefully. Does the child have a P designation (gifted), or is this a child who desperately needs to interact with other like minded students? How will this program benefit this child? Does the child have an IEP? Does the school need help in figuring out if the child may or may not be gifted, or at least need some form of enrichment?
In gifted education, we are working how to meet the needs of gifted and highly able learners, with little funding. We are looking at ways of providing services to schools to meet the needs of their gifted students, and we are trying to be creative in this endeavour. I would love to visit schools and offer solutions or help in meeting the needs that are in classrooms, but at three days a week, it is impossible. However, I am creative and positive and want to do the best that can be done....if you have any solutions, I would love to hear them!!!
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