What if we changed the way gifted education was understood by legislators?
By Reby Parsley, WAETAG President and Legislative Liaison
It’s not too late to invite a legislator to your classroom! Visits can happen anytime from now until mid-December.
WAETAG’s host-a-legislator program provides the opportunity for Washington teachers to connect with legislators. WAETAG’s program makes it easy for teachers and provides all the materials you will need. There are already 7 school districts around the state participating, yours could be next!
Through this program, legislators are encouraged to become involved in the teacher’s classroom through co-teaching a lesson or presenting to students. This is a great experience for students to interact with a legislator. These visits make a big impression on legislators as well, which can be extremely significant as decisions are being made in Olympia which will impact gifted education and our students for years to come. By inviting a legislator into your classroom, that allows them the ability to more deeply understand the complexities of gifted education services.
How might legislation for gifted education look different if even 25% of legislators had spent time with an accomplished gifted education educator? How might their direct classroom and school experience inform and enrich education policy, discussions, and decisions?
If you are a teacher interested in hosting a legislator or another policy maker in your classroom, please contact Reby at reby@waetag.com today and she will walk you through the process. If you are a parent, please forward this information to your student’s classroom teacher and encourage them to sign up!