It was inspiring to hear Temple Grandin speak at the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Conference today. Their theme this year? “Gifted and Beyond.” Beyond indeed. Beyond the label. Beyond your perceptions. Beyond what you think you understand. Temple Grandin inspired me because I see success. I see someone who found her place in the world, inspiring others to think differently about autism, and about kids who are different. Her passion for agricultural science led to her earning a doctorate in the field. Today? She gave hundreds of educators insight into how learning is different for her. A difference too many refuse to acknowledge because they do not try to understand it. She inspired us.
We need to think about the expectations we place on kids. If we are not careful, our expectations will become their limits. What if we see beyond what we think they can do? What if we realize that seeing kids as individuals is more important than knowing everything about a label. Kids. Beyond the labels. The possibilities there? They are limitless.
