100 Words of Wisdom: Jane Hesslein

100 Words of Wisdom

A teacher reflects on the rewards of teaching gifted ten-year-olds: their unpredictable insights lead classes in new directions, renewing curiosity and discovery. Sharing students’ perspectives brings joy and keeps adults intellectually invigorated, offering a continual sense of wonder and youthful perspective.

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One of the things I enjoy most about teaching gifted 10-year-olds is the knowledge that they are going to challenge me. I know it’s coming; I just never know what direction it will come from. Each class finds something new in a book I’ve been teaching for years, and we head off together in a new direction. I love sharing that joy of discovery with them. Seeing the world through their eyes is a gift, and we adults should take advantage of it as often as possible. It’s the intellectual equivalent of the fountain of youth.

Jane Hesslein

Jane Hesslein’s professional orientation has focused on gifted children from the beginning. Currently teaching fifth grade Humanities at Seattle Country Day School (an independent school for the gifted), her career has also taken her to public and private settings in New Jersey, Texas, Ontario, and Minnesota. Jane has presented at national meetings on a variety of pertinent topics, such as children’s literature and parent-teacher collaboration. She embraces ambiguity, and in that spirit carries dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship. Jane excels at connecting people to people and programs to programs. She has advised publishers, film companies, and toy developers, connecting them all to her students. She has been a board member for Concordia Language Villages and continues to promote language immersion as one way for her students to venture outside their own boxes. A SENG facilitator since 1989, Jane’s goal is to promote SENG awareness and sensibilities among the teachers and families of the gifted.

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