Building Successful Schools for 2e Children (Part 3)

This four-part series provides a glimpse into what it takes to build and run a successful school for 2e children. It will offer teachers a primer of what 2e students need to thrive, and show parents how they can help or hinder the work of specialized educators. Additionally, it can help medical and therapeutic professionals understand the emotional and social pressures of being 2e. I have worked with 2e children and their families for 20 years, and have created and operated a school for 2e children for the past nine years. This series will celebrate the exceptional abilities, and tackle the most difficult aspects of working with 2e students and their families, through day-in-the-life stories from my school. Stories are how we humans relate to each other, learn from each other, and develop empathy for each other. Read Part 1 of the series | Read Part 2 of the series
Part 3: Family Matters
Raising 2e children is a difficult, complex, and often confusing job.

Recently, I met with a family looking for an appropriate placement for their son. The boy already was displaying levels of genius at the ripe old age of five. He also had high anxiety, overexcitabilities, and sensory issues. I began explaining why it is so critical for 2e children to be educated in a school that is radically different from the status quo.

Dad, who was a highly successful financial executive, was not convinced. He felt his son would do well in a prep school that had exceptionally high academics. I cautioned that the traditional, linear-sequential learning model does not work for 2e children. These children are not just square pegs being pounded into a round hole, but prickly, multi-spiked pegs; and every time we knock off one of those spikes to ...