As part of IEA’s Finding the Right Fit: Choosing a High School as a Gifted Student series, IEA students share how they discovered their best fit high school, what they learned along the way, and the advice they believe families would like to know.
From public and private schools to magnet programs, boarding schools, and more, each gifted learner’s path looks different. Through their reflections, our students offer guidance and encouragement for families exploring high school options.
Channing – Independent Online School
Name of School: Davidson Academy Online
IEA Program: CDB Scholarship
Homestate: TX
Did you consider any other high schools seriously? If so, which ones?
None
What type of support and learning environment were you looking for when choosing a high school?
- A good student:teacher ratio
- Counselor support
- Strong academic focus
- Like-minded peers
- Freedom of selection of courses
- Course rigor
What were your top 3 reasons for choosing your school?
- I felt that Davidson is a school that focuses greatly on academics and fosters a community of discussion with my students and teachers.
- It also has a very good student:teacher ratio (5:1), which makes the learning student-centered.
- Davidson places students based on ability and not by age, so I knew I would always feel challenged.
What do you enjoy most about your high school?
I like our classroom model. We are expected to come to class already having read relevant materials. This enables the class to focus on students asking questions and collaborating to solve problems. The questions asked are often quite deep (well beyond what will ever be expected on exams or homework!) and facilitate wonderful class discussions. The active learning model allows me to gain a much deeper understanding of the material compared to lectures.
My math teacher, Dr. Sarah Hagen, wrote about active learning in a blog post published by the American Math Society: https://blogs.ams.org/matheducation/2020/06/04/active-learning-and-the-transformation-of-a-graduate-student-instructor/. The part about this post that resonated with me the most is that active learning is actually a better use of an instructor’s expertise; originally, I thought an instructor’s expertise was measured in ways such as “how fluently do they lecture?”, “do they ever make mistakes while lecturing?”, and so on. But now I realize that instructors are not there only to help students understand; the best ones help students transcend understanding and ask their own questions and collaborate with one another. This teaches the students skills that are applicable everywhere in life.
Tell us about a proud or memorable moment you’ve had at this school.
One memorable moment I had was when I received feedback on my first major writing assignment. The grade I got was not what I am accustomed to, but what shocked me the most was how much feedback my teacher gave me. Prior to joining Davidson, I thought writing was simply whether I could fill up pages and pages without having grammatical or stylistic errors – indeed, these were pretty much the requirements, and following them gave me good grades. However, after that assignment, I realized that writing is a process. It doesn’t have to be good the first time around, but I have to be humble and willing to accept others’ input. And so I did – from that point on, I spent as much time as I could revising my assignments according to my teachers’ feedback, making sure to keep feedback in mind for future assignments too. I learned to sit down and think about what I was writing, rather than hurriedly scribble in words. Seeing writing as a collaborative process made me appreciate it a lot more.
How has this school supported your needs as a gifted student?
It has helped me develop skills outside of academics. As discussed earlier, it’s helped me realize that learning is collaborative. The roadblock for gifted students is NOT that they’re so far advanced over everyone else and feel unchallenged (in fact, even in public school, I never thought of myself as the standout of the class!). If you feel bored in a standard classroom, you could always skip grades or take extracurricular classes. But what standard classrooms don’t allow you to see is the opportunity that’s out there. I’ve improved exponentially in writing since joining Davidson. Looking back, the reason was the simple mindset change upon receiving my first assignment back. If I had never thought of writing collaboratively and a skill that takes time and precision, I would always have been stuck in the mindset of filling up pages as quickly as possible. I could skip five grades and hire ten tutors and I certainly wouldn’t feel unchallenged. But I wouldn’t realize the beauty of writing.
Are there any ways you wish your school could better support you? If you’ve looked for help elsewhere, what programs or services have you found helpful?
As I’m far advanced in my schools’ math curriculum, I have found the need to take courses outside of the school for math credit. My counselor and teachers are supportive of me taking such courses, which I appreciate. I have used the Stanford Pre-Collegiate University Level Online program as well as the Euler Math Circle.
Do you have any tips or advice for gifted 8th graders who are deciding where to go to high school?
Ask yourself what you need and what serves you best. Don’t chase big name schools if you don’t feel that they suit you. If you’re unsure about which school to pick, don’t be afraid to ask students in the school about their experiences.
Do you have any tips to share with incoming 9th graders to help them start the year off right?
Stay organized and build a consistent schedule.
Is there anything else you’d like to add that we haven’t asked about?
Stay focused and pursue your dreams.
This story is part of IEA’s Finding the Right Fit: Choosing a High School as a Gifted Student series on finding the right high school. By sharing their experiences, our students hope to support other gifted students and families on the same journey.
