There is something so important about showing the developing talents of your students at the your school and their capacity to offer their narratives of their own lives as gifts to share with others (I can imagine their initial response to this!).

I think you could start with a 'framing' of your writing on gifts, talents and education, for your readers with some ideas on G&T government policy (you will find some on this site - start looking in the Official stuff section) and the importance of going beyond the identification of 10% into an inclusive approach to gifts and talents in education. You could then explain to your reader your use of a form of narrative inquiry in which you are seeking to show a valid representation of your educational influence in the development of your pupils' gifts and talents as well as your own.  It's sometimes difficult to recognise and publicly affirm one's own talents but unless we do this I don't think we are going to be able to contribute to our much needed, professional knowledge-base. You do have a talent for recognising the humanity of the other. My own language would be that you also have a talent for systemic presencing - I'm meaning this in the sense that you have a relationally dynamic awareness of space and boundaries in the Link in which you respond receptively to the educational needs of both colleagues and students.  I've attached some notes I made in 1999 from the work of Jean Clandinin and Michael Connolly on narrative that might appeal to you, plus some notes from a 2007 chapter by Clandinin and Rosiek where they talk about privileging lived experience over macrosocial influences. I think we need to use both forms of insight in explaining our educational influences. Looking forward to sharing your writings.

Page Last Updated - 05/05/2008