Before we leave the topic of gifted education, for now, here are some of the resources available to parents, teachers and students, resources discovered by SNET readers as they sought ways to help their children maximize their talents and skills, in and out of the classroom.

• CT Association for the Gifted (CAG) -- Telephone Hotline: 860-489-1689 This organization provides guidance, seminars, political/educational alerts pertinent to G/T and prints a quarterly newspaper full of valuable information.
• Gifted and Talented Education -- Connecticut State Department of Education, 25 Industrial Park Road, Middletown, CT 06457 Telephone: (203) 638-4247
• Connecticut Educators Network for the Talented and Gifted -- Nancy Wade, President. 36 Heritage Drive Avon, CT 06001
• Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics and Technology. Website: http://www.pcnet.com/~Talcott/tma.html
• Center for Talented Youth (CTY) -- Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland (summer institutes for talented youth)
• National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) -- UConn (Call UConn switchboard at (860) 486-2000 for telephone number.)

A teacher wrote to me about this UConn training program (last bulleted item, above) for teachers of gifted and talented students, and described the experience as follows:

"I am a seventh grade geography teacher, who became disenchanted with traditional education's treatment of gifted students. For that reason, a few years ago, I searched for a premier gifted ed. Master's degree program, thinking that I needed alternatives to bring back into my classroom. I had noticed that my gifted students needed just as much encouragement, challenge, motivation, and emotional support as my regular ed. and special ed. students, perhaps more. These were the only students in my classroom to remain unsupported, and I saw many wasting away.

"I was overjoyed to find that one of the best resources in gifted ed. is right here in CT! The U.S. National Research Center for the Gifted and Talented, headed by Dr. Joseph Renzulli and Dr. Sally Reis (pronounced Reese), is housed at UConn. People from all over the world come to UConn just to be trained by these people, and every summer, they run a two week institute in gifted ed. called Confratute. All kinds of people attend the programs there, from educators to parents to counselors. It's a great resource.

"Best of all, they have an incredible resource network! The UCONN folks even started their own printing company, since, during the seventies and eighties, people didn't want to print politically questionable material. Creative Learning Press is now independent, but they carry all sorts of books that you should devour.

"My favorite introductory book is "Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom," by Susan Weinbrenner. When I train my colleagues in gifted students' needs, I use many materials from this text, since everything a teacher needs to compact curriculum for these kids(documents, anecdotes, methods, materials)is included. It's so easy to use, and very teacher friendly. This might be a good introductory book to show to your child's teacher.

"Another favorite is the "Gifted Kids Survival Guide" by Judy Galbraith, which has other versions for parents and older students. There are more resources than I could even mention here, but get their catalog and enjoy!"

Creative Learning Press P.O. Box 320 Mansfield Center, CT 06250 Phone: (203) 429-8118 Fax: (203) 429-7783 (for a catalog)

"Best of luck with your resource search! I don't know what it's like to live with a gifted child, but I do spend a good deal of time in school with gifted teenagers!"