November 2021 - Volume 2
WATG Mission: To educate about and advocate for the needs of gifted in Wisconsin.
As you may have noticed, WATG’s activities and reach have been growing! To keep you more informed on a more timely basis, our Board of Directors voted to send out news TWICE each month. The first installment will always arrive at the beginning of the month, and the second installment will arrive in the middle of the month. With this change, we hope to keep you more curious, informed, motivated, and engaged.
NEWS
Join us in changing lives on #GivingTuesday! #GivingTuesday is the international day of generosity happening on November 30, 2021. It has become a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.
At a time when we are all still experiencing the pandemic, generosity is what brings people of all races, faiths, and political views together across the globe. Generosity gives everyone the power to make a positive change in the lives of others and is a fundamental value anyone can act on.
Here’s what we need from you to help us make a difference in the state of Wisconsin for high-achieving individuals.
1. Add #GivingTuesday to your calendar--November 30, 2021. 
2. Donate to WATG via our Facebook page or web page. Just click on the “Donate” button. Be sure to share your support with your friends and family.
3. Tell your gifted and talented story and why it matters, share it on social media and be sure to tag us @WisconsinGifted in your post. Use #GivingTuesday #WiGifted #WATG hashtags.
4. Start your own fundraiser for WATG on Facebook using this link
Be watching your email and our social media feeds for more information as we countdown to#GivingTuesday. We can’t wait to see how you will support our mission.
WATG Welcomes Two New Partners
WATG is pleased to announce two new partnerships following our highly successful 2021 Fall Conference. WATG Partnerships are designed for Wisconsin and national educational, extracurricular, and parental organizations, independent consultants, UW Schools, and CESAs, organizations and individuals reasonably aligned with WATG's mission to raise public awareness about the unique needs of gifted individuals. Partnerships allow us to:
  • Offer a voice to parents, educators, and gifted students
  • Advocate for gifted students at the local, state, and national levels with our legislators
  • Provide high quality professional development for parents and educators, including webinars and workshops
  • Provide coaching and consulting services for parents and educators
  • Create and support research on gifted education issues
  • Award scholarships to Wisconsin gifted students and educators
  • Coordinate networking opportunities
  • Publish a twice-monthly newsletter
  • Host an annual conference
  • Share updates on timely gifted issues
This October, WATG welcomed two new partnerships - Dr. Matt Zakreski and the creators of The G Word Documentary.  
“Dr. Matt” Zakreski, PsyD,, is a high energy, creative clinician who specializes in working with children, adolescents, and their families. providing therapy and conducting psychological evaluations. Additionally, Dr. Matt serves as a consultant to schools, a professor at the university level, and a researcher and author on his specialty, giftedness. 
You may have had the opportunity to hear Dr. Matt present several workshops at our Fall Conference; those of us who did were very impressed, and we are delighted to welcome him as a WATG partner.
Additionally, WATG welcomes the creators of the The G Word Documentary into a partnership with our organization. Many of you may have heard Marc Smolowitz, The G Word Film director and producer, speak at our Fall Conference. The G Word Film is a feature length documentary that aims to be the most comprehensive film ever made on the topics of gifted, talented, and neurodiverse education across the United States. The film asks the urgent equity question, “In the 21st century in America, who gets to be gifted, and why?” The film is poised to premiere in 2022, and WATG is honored to be a partner in supporting this project.  
WATG continually seeks to form partnerships to further our mission and to serve gifted individuals more fully. If you are interested in partnering with WATG, please contact our Executive Director, Roxane Hagedorn at rhagedorn@watg.org.
WATG Blogs
(WATG desea extender un enorme agradecimiento a la Dra. Martha Aracely Lopez de las Escuelas Públicas de Milwaukee por traducir este artículo al español para nuestras familias y educadores hispanohablantes. La traducción también se puede encontrar en los blogs de nuestro sitio web)
Gifted in Perspective: Putting it all into Perspective
Jackie Drummer, WATG Advisory Board Member and Past President
Now that the 2021 WATG Fall Annual Conference is “in the books,” so many thoughts have been circling around in my brain. I suspect, too, that I am not alone.

With about five decades in the field of gifted education, many of these thoughts have been circling in my brain for a long, long time. As our field has evolved, many of my understandings have evolved, and, because of our recent conference and my incessant curiosity and research, new and challenging ideas have emerged.
Dr. Wanda Routier
Former WATG Board Member
Ask the Doctor: Virtual Museum Tours
Have you or your gifted child ever participated in a virtual tour of a museum? There are many resources available to bring faraway places right into your home, child’s classroom, or as the first link says, “tour from the comfort of your own sofa”. It is quite astounding to think that we have the capability to view fine works of art, great architecture, historical artifacts and scenes, or visit other types of museums from around the world virtually. 
A Call for Change
The 2021 Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted Fall Conference offered the opportunity to delve deeper into key issues around gifted education, both locally and nationally, with a specific focus on equity.

Regardless of the difficulties surrounding change, growth requires it. Dissecting what works versus what continues to challenge a system often begins the change process. For some, this dissection leads to refinement
Dr. Maria Katsaros-Molzahn
WATG Secretary and Justice for All Taskforce
Gifted Meandering Through Leadership Roles
Ruth Robinson, Past WATG President
As we approach fifty years of advocacy, it’s interesting to look back at the leadership rosters and honor those who started and maintained the organization. In all of that time there have only been about 300 people in official leadership roles. Of course, many of these individuals served multiple terms in multiple roles, and many of today’s Board Members certainly fit into that category.
Christine Wyatt
WATG Board Member
So Many Hats, Not Enough Heads!
Are you familiar with the children’s book “Caps For Sale?” The opening image in the book is of the cap selling man who has many multi-colored caps hoisted upon the top of his head. One morning he tries to sell his caps, but to no avail. This image perfectly captures how I have been feeling as of late as the Gifted and Talented Coordinator in my small school district in a suburb outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’m sure I’m not the only gifted and talented educator in Wisconsin who has been feeling this way recently. It seems to be the accepted norm in gifted education. For those of you who remain curious, I will share with you the plight of the gifted educator in Wisconsin.
FREE PARENT MEMBERSHIP
Parenting gifted children can be an exciting, yet challenging journey, and WATG is committed to providing information, resources, and networking opportunities for parents and caregivers of gifted children.
As a service to gifted children and their families, WATG is offering FREE memberships to all parents/caregivers beginning now and extending through September of 2022. Benefits of WATG membership include:

  • Support for educational outreach
  • Support for parents/caregivers and advocates
  • Voting privileges
  • Consultation and coaching
  • And so much more!

So far, over 150 parents/caregivers have taken advantage of this outstanding opportunity! We encourage more of you to join us by filling out this Free WATG Parent Membership Form, and look forward to meeting you and growing with you.
Don't miss this month's podcast with Cory and Dr. Donna Ford!
Any organization mentioned in this newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by or partnership with WATG. No recommendation regarding the services of these organizations is being made by WATG. Families and educators are urged to perform due diligence in researching all organizations.
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