Lynda, Principal of Dara School, maths & science teacher, (previously nurse & midwife!) joins us to talk about the impact of rules and regulations on opening a school for gifted kids (a topic she has just finished researching for her Phd building on her vast experience and masters of gifted ed) and you’ll be surprised about what the biggest challenge was (or maybe not).
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Memorable Quote
“I think it’s about perseverance. There are so many times I wanted to give up, but I didn’t. Why didn’t I? because there were people around me, and it was about the vision.” – Lynda McInnes
Resources
- The G Word
- Gifted Talented Neurodiverse Awareness Week
- Dara School
- #019 What is Gifted? With Lynda McInnes
BIO
Lynda began her professional career as a nurse and midwife where she worked for many years as a remote area nurse. During this time, she taught Health at the local school.
She then followed her passion for science by completing a bachelor’s degree with a major in chemistry and then a bachelor’s degree in education. She taught high school maths and science and realised her own children and many other gifted childrens’ needs were not being met in the regular classroom. She studied a master’s degree in education with a focus on gifted education, worked in Gifted Education as an Assistant Principal, while becoming increasingly aware that there was much more that needed to be implemented for gifted children.
In late 2013, a group made up people passionate about Gifted Education was formed, and regular meetings focused on establishing a specialist school dedicated to the education of gifted students commenced. The concepts and ideas that emerged formed the philosophical basis of Dara School and four years later the doors finally opened to our first group of gifted students.
Throughout the establishment phase of starting Dara School, Lynda has been working as a doctoral student at Flinders University, writing an auto-ethnography thesis (which she has just finished), as she believes it is important to tell the story of establishing Australia’s first, full time specialist school for gifted students.
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You can find show notes and more resources at www.ourgiftedkids.com
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