Teaching GT Kids

OK.  I will just admit it.  I love teaching GT kids.  I was at a charter school for GT kids today - 5th and 6th grades and I really enjoyed the day. 

First of all, the atmosphere of a GT school is different.  There is an enjoyment of learning that I don't usually see at other schools.  The teacher left some "Plexer" style worksheets for them to do if they had some time and the kids grabbed them enthusiastically.  Then later in the day, they were reading aloud from a book with multiple characters and they really enjoyed listening to different kids read their parts.  There was a willingness to tackle problems and think about the implications of different aspects of their learning. 

And the students are also a bit different - the interest in things; the acceptance of each other; the acceptance of "the sub" as a person of interest and not an adversary. 

It was fun. 

I suppose this is one reason why teachers in regular classrooms sometimes feel that teaching GT kids is "easy".  In general, they WERE more compliant that kids I teach in regular classrooms.  Their enthusiasm carries over to their work and it makes teaching more interesting and more fun.  And, in general, as this is a charter school, their parents are committed to their education.  The parents who picked up the kids seemed genuinely interested in what their children had to say. 

As a sub, I can't really tell much about their ability levels.  My guess is that most of them were moderately gifted, with a sprinkling of students above and below that.  I still didn't see accommodations for kids who would be outliers, even in this environment, the EG and PG kids, but the general attitude that learning is interesting should make it more comfortable and accepting even for those students. 

Good day, even though I am coming off of an illness and am not at 100% myself.