Getting LOUD for Gifted Learners: Practical Ways Educators Can Spread Gifted Cheer All Year Long

Every year around this time, we talk about spreading kindness, joy, and holiday cheer.

But in gifted education, there’s another kind of cheer our learners desperately need, one that lasts long after December.

Gifted cheer isn’t about decorations or seasonal activities.
It’s about showing up loudly, boldly, and unapologetically for gifted learners who are often misunderstood, overlooked, or underserved.

This year, I’m encouraging educators to get L.O.U.D.:

L — Lean In
O — Own It
U — Use Your Voice
D — Dare to Disrupt

Below is a practical, meaningful guide you can use on your campus or in your district to advocate for and activate gifted learners…not just during the holidays, but all year long.

L — Lean In: Notice, nurture, and name what matters

Leaning in means paying attention to moments that others might miss...the spark in a student’s question, the pattern they see before anyone else, the passion project they can’t stop talking about. It means taking an active role in understanding how giftedness shows up in your community.

Here are a few ways to Lean In:

• Lean in during meetings and ask, “How does this support our advanced learners?” Normalizing that question changes everything.

• Lean in to the learners by asking curiosity-driven questions (“What made you think of that?” “What would you do next?”).

• Lean in using data to identify learners who are capable of more than they’re currently being asked to do.

• Lean in to partnerships by collaborating with content-area teachers on deeper thinking opportunities.

• Lean in to clarity by helping families understand how their learner is gifted, not just that they are.

O — Own It: Step confidently into your expertise

In gifted education, ownership is powerful. When we own our work, our role, and our purpose, others begin to see the value we bring.

Here’s how educators can Own It:

• Own the narrative by reframing misconceptions: “Gifted isn’t more work. It’s different work.”

• Own your expertise by sharing one strategy at each staff meeting...maybe a “Gifted Minute.”

• Own your impact by documenting and sharing breakthrough moments with your admin team.

• Own your space by creating visible, ongoing reminders of depth: a Wonder Wall, a Depth Detector, a Breakthrough Board.

• Own your time by protecting collaborative planning, coaching, and supporting educators with differentiation.

U — Use Your Voice: Advocate in the moments that matter

Gifted learners need adults who speak up, not only when something is broken, but when something is possible.

Here’s how to Use Your Voice:

• Advocate during scheduling conversations to ensure gifted services are protected and purposeful.

• Share stories that help others see giftedness differently. A single example can shift perception.

• Ask meaningful questions in PLCs: “Where’s the depth? Where’s the choice? Where’s the challenge?”

• Educate families about what gifted services should look like, not just what they’ve experienced.

• Lead a short campus PD on purposeful passion projects, micro-goals, or open-ended thinking routines.

• Use newsletters and social media to help your community understand the why behind the work.

D — Dare to Disrupt: Change what no longer serves our learners

Disruption doesn’t have to be loud, chaotic, or rebellious. In gifted education, disruption is purposeful. It questions norms, challenges assumptions, and replaces outdated practices with meaningful ones.

Here’s how to Dare to Disrupt:

• Challenge busywork by asking, “What would a breakthrough look like instead?”

• Introduce Genius Hour or passion projects as a legitimate way to reveal gifted learners’ strengths.

• Rethink identification by adding more “windows” like observations, portfolios, interviews, student voice.

• Elevate daily depth with open-ended starters that transform the doorway into a thinking space.

• Interrupt stereotypes by advocating for learners who don’t fit the traditional gifted profile.

• Push for equity through universal screening and talent development, not gatekeeping.

• Propose something different like curiosity labs, or multi-age groupings.

Disruption is how we move from “the way it’s always been” to “the way it needs to be.”

Getting LOUD Is How We Build a Better Future for Gifted Learners

When you lean in, own it, use your voice, and dare to disrupt, you don’t just spread gifted cheer, you create meaningful change.

Gifted learners deserve adults who advocate, innovate, and design learning experiences that activate their passions and stretch their potential.

So this year, let’s get LOUD.

Because gifted education shouldn’t whisper.
It should SHINE!