Nurturing Gifted Students through Times of Grief
36th Tennessee Association for the Gifted Annual Conference
Memphis, Tennessee
October 22-23, 2015
What do grief and giftedness have in common?
1. Both grief and giftedness can be hard to define.
2. Grief and giftedness are present in all cultures.
3. Grieving children and gifted children can sometimes be overlooked.
4. Grieving students and gifted students may feel like they are “different.”
5. Grieving children and gifted children are children first.
6. People may try to hide or avoid both grief and giftedness.
7. Grieving students and gifted students can be “at risk,” but help is available.
Copyright 2015 Sandra Connell Jones
What are some suggestions for nurturing gifted young people through grief?
Here are some “ABC’s of Grief and Giftedness” you can take home and use right away. Some
(like listening) are very important when the gifted young person is in the moment of grief.
Others (like role models of resilience and service) may be helpful for more general planning
purposes.
A
Art
B
Books
C
Counseling
D
Direct communication
E
Encourage friendships
F
Fantasy Literature
G
Guided viewing of films
H
Have a heart
I
Include spiritual intelligence
J
Join forces with others
K
Keep reaching out
L
Listen
M
Music
N
Nature
O
Offer safe places and/or support groups
P
Play
Q
Quiet times
R
Role models of resilience and service
S
Storytelling
T
Time to exercise
U
Utilize web sites
V
Value death education at home and in school
W
Write in “regular” or simulated journals
X
Examine difficult questions
Y
Yield your plan for the greater good
Z
Zero in on facts to refute the myths
Copyright 2015 Sandra Connell Jones
How do I contact the speaker to schedule a presentation or to request more information?
Sandra Connell Jones, M.A. (sandra.jones@mtsu.edu or sjones1@mscc.edu)
Middle Tennessee State University
Psychology Department
P.O. Box 87
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
or
Motlow State Community College
Smyrna Center
5002 Motlow College Boulevard
Smyrna, TN 37167
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National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization www.nhpco.org.
Center for Loss and Life Transition www.centerforloss.com
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InSight Books www.insightbooks.com
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Center for Mental Health Services www.mentalhealth.org/child
American Art Therapy Association www.arttherapy.org
Creative Learning Consultants, Inc. http://www.creativelearningconsultants.com
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National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) www.nagc.org
Supporting the Emotional Needs of Gifted Children (SENG) www.sengifted.org
Tennessee Association for the Gifted (TAG) www.tag-tenn.org
Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth https://pty.vanderbilt.edu
Duke Talent Identification Program www.tip.duke.edu
William and Mary Center for Gifted Education cfge.wm.edu
The Center for Gifted Studies Western Kentucky University www.wku.edu/gifted/
Davidson Institute for Talent Development www.davidsongifted.org