An inspirational reflection on G&T intervention

Last week I witnessed something that epitomises the life-changing effect of the correct educational intervention on students.

I had the pleasure of meeting Simon Mitchell-Wong, Chief Digital Officer at the Catholic Education Office, Melbourne, Director, Chairman, and Digital Strategist. He is also a past student of Suzanne Plume.

In Year 5, Simon, who was keeping carnivorous plants as a hobby, was identified as gifted and was placed under the care of Suzanne. He had many of the hallmark traits of a gifted student such as social difficulties due to cognitive asynchrony (resulting in him being avoided by and teased by other students), an intense need for cognitive stimulation and a sense of bewilderment at why others were not interested in what he spent time thinking about.

After school, Simon went on to pursue a career in digital technology, earning a BSc at Macquarie University (with Honours) and an MBA at Monash University. He is a highly accomplished digital analyst who worked for Telstra as a Technology Manager for several years, then decided to redirect his focus onto the education world, specifically the gifted arena, as a way of giving back for what he received during his education. He is now working in the Catholic Education system in Melbourne and is married with 2 children.

Simon came to visit Suzanne and to exchange knowledge about best practice in G&T education to inform decisions in his current workplace. Witnessing the strong connection between them and hearing Simon profess that he “would not be where he is today if it had not been for Suzanne Plume”, was surreal.

Simon went on to describe the many ways in which Suzanne had helped him to navigate the school system as a highly-gifted individual, assisting with his social/emotional development; his organisation and study skills, his belief in himself, and his discovery of reading!  He mentioned Suzanne’s book list and what a revelation it had been to discover reading when she insisted on helping him find a genre that appealed to him. “Your book list! I will never forget it!”

Suzanne’s intervention, as per gifted education theory, focused on Simon’s strengths and building his confidence, making sure he knew he had people who understood him and could rely on. Suzanne facilitated Simon’s access to a university email account and he spent hours emailing people of like mind, allowing him to pursue his intellectual interests and realise that he had people he could exchange ideas with.

On this visit, Suzanne and Simon chatted for hours, sharing their insights about the education of highly capable students and recalling times from Simon’s schooling. One of Suzanne’s favourite memories is the time he offered to make her computer run faster and she returned to find it in pieces on her desk. He did fix it beautifully!

What I witnessed was theory come alive – a testament to the effect that empathetic and knowledgeable support can have on a gifted student trying to understand where they fit in to the world.

Suzanne’s facilitation of Simon’s success was masterful. She continues to give to this cause daily at Emanuel never expecting credit or applause, but I see the same thankfulness in the eyes of her current students, that I saw in Simon.

Suzanne Plume – Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator 7-12