AIG Egg Beater

Because of the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, we may not have another teacher workday this year. That being said, I’ve been doing everything I can do to utilize these days. So far, my days have been spent organizing responsibilities outside of my classroom. Yesterday, I worked to organize our school-wide writing challenge and classroom incentive plan. Today, I worked on a promotional brochure for the school, wrote a lot of e-mails, discussed our school improvement plan, and did quite a bit of research on AIG. AIG is an area that I don’t know a lot about, and it’s an area for which I have chosen to do a project for my classes at Campbell.

AIG: Academically and Intellectually Gifted.
Formerly AG: Academically Gifted.
Formerly GT: Gifted and Talented.

Growing up, I was labeled as Gifted and Talented. I have two memories relating specifically to this label.

1) In elementary school (sometime between 4th and 8th grades), my friends and I were pulled for a GT class. It was cold in the trailer where we went for class and for some reason the teacher left us alone for a few minutes. While she was gone, my friends and I found an old fashioned egg beater/hand mixer—the kind that you crank by hand. Naturally, my friends and I chased each other around the trailer trying to attack each other with the egg beater.

2) Governor’s School. Because of my GT label, I was able to go to Governor’s School. I went for six weeks during the summer after my sophomore year. That summer was life-changing in many ways, not the least of which was introducing me to my horn instructor that would eventually lead me to Meredith College. That summer was the also the first time that I truly understood that there were people my age who were not Christian and had not grown up influenced by Christian belief.

So even though I benefited from the GT label, I have only those memories of the program, and while I know that the program has changed a lot over the years—which is subtly shown in the name changes—I don’t know a lot about what has changed—or what was even there in the first place! GT was bound to be more than an egg-beater chase!

Hence the project.

I got to choose from four categories: Limited English Proficient, Behaviorally Challenged, Poverty, or AIG. I was undecided between the last three categories until the sign-up sheet came to me. I was last to sign the sheet, and no one else had signed up for AIG, so AIG it was. I deal with the effects of challenging behaviors and poverty every day. In fact, I deal with them so much that I don’t even know where to begin to do a specific project. But AIG is something I can learn about and do. I think. So I will try.

Part of my job is to figure out how to see and teach all of my students because all of my students are worth it. Highest, lowest, and everything in between. Maybe I should get an egg beater, though, just in case.