by Sheila Roark Wright
Sheila Roark Wright is the parent of a 7th grade student in the gifted program. Mrs. Wright is grateful that her daughter has the opportunity to study with the amazing teachers in the gifted education program.
Trying to describe the many wonderful characteristics of Ms. Gina Wyckoff is like describing a kaleidoscope. Her teaching style combines intriguing facets of knowledge with a colorful enthusiasm for gifted education. The result is an ever-evolving, brilliant composition of teacher and student achievement. Let’s look at some of Ms. Wyckoff’s unique personal experiences, innate qualities, and education that helped create this amazing teacher and beautiful human being.
Ms. Wyckoff was identified as gifted in California, Georgia and Michigan when some states were just starting to implement gifted programs. Ms. Wyckoff personally experienced the benefits of challenging curriculum geared toward gifted learners. Ms. Wyckoff attended nine schools in four states K-12 as her family moved several times in order to achieve their goals and improve their circumstances. In addition to academics, she played sports, chess, and the trumpet in high school. She also participated in Model United Nations, Future Problem Solving Bowl, Georgia’s Governor’s Honors Program in Math, Emory Summer Scholars Program, Youth in Government and Junior Achievement.
Ms. Wyckoff graduated from Kickapoo High School and twice from Drury College. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in humanities from Drury College. During her college years she earned practicum credit working with the WINGS Program at Pershing Middle School. She earned additional graduate hours in gifted education, writing, psychology, math, etc., at Missouri State University, University of Arizona-Tucson, etc.
Ms. Wyckoff comes from a long family legacy of teachers. Teaching as a career was always respected, encouraged and nurtured. Ms. Wyckoff was indirectly involved with the origins of the gifted program in our community, as her mother, Dr. Dee Woodward, first GAM President, worked with Sara Lampe and DeDe Smith to start the gifted certification degree program at Drury. She recalls that Ms. Lampe knew they needed to create an environment for gifted children to go for specified learning. Ms. Wyckoff worked with both her mother and Sara Lampe in college and professionally promoting and advocating for gifted education.
Dr. Dee Woodward, Sara Lampe, and many other leaders and teachers of gifted education fostered a love for teaching in gifted education. Ms. Wyckoff worked with many leaders in gifted education, especially assessing for multiple intelligences with Dr. June Maker in Arizona’s Native American reservations and assessing IQ testing with Dr. Linda Silverman in Colorado, and creativity with Dr. Paul Torrance with the Future Problem Solving Bowl. She has presented at many local, state, national and international educational conferences.
Ms. Wyckoff went on to say that gifted programs are about addressing and discussing the needs of gifted learners, not about elitism. Ms. Wyckoff shared, “I have been a student in gifted classes where we were celebrated for our good work, creativity, imagination, intelligence, collaboration, and learning. We encouraged each other and it was amazing. We knew each other well and supported each other in each endeavor. We could ask each other difficult questions and always feel encouraged. Relationships established early continue throughout our lives like a supportive Think Tank. ”
She came to realize that in every avenue of her life she was always teaching in some capacity, whether it was swimming lessons, tutoring math, teaching music or coaching. Graduating early, she started professional teaching at Pleasant View Middle School where she taught English and journalism and coached basketball and volleyball, officiated track, and advised the yearbook, newspaper and National Junior Honor Society. After nine years in the regular classroom, she had the long awaited opportunity to teach at Phelps Center and work with gifted children in a one day a week gifted program.
Since being identified as gifted as a child, she loved learning from her gifted teachers and always dreamed of teaching gifted students in a gifted education program. She is so thankful Springfield has a 150 year (1867-present) history as a public school district with a gifted education program soon to celebrate its 40th year (1978-present), and a center where colleagues are able to plan together, work together, and differentiate for the needs of gifted students. She states simply, “Gifted education accepts and accommodates the whole child, focusing on their needs and strengths. I have loved being in this community of learners and sincerely hope all children find a learning community that is just right for each of them.”
Ms. Wyckoff began teaching at Phelps Center in 1992. She has worked with WINGS students at all grade levels 1-8, team teaching with many WINGS teachers especially in 5th, 7th and 8th grade Affective Education and Thinking Skills. While at WINGS she has also served as a School-wide Enrichment Facilitator (SWEF), a district wide Differentiated Instruction facilitator, and has participated in statewide Math Leadership Academies. Ms. Wyckoff works to strengthen her vast repertoire of skills and knowledge. Whatever interdisciplinary major unit she teaches, she works with her students to stretch their intelligences, strengthen their strengths, develop their passions and focus on their interests while developing her vast repertoire of skills and knowledge relating to WINGS content, process and product.
Over her 25 years at WINGS she has taught many major units in all grades 1-8. Most recently she has taught Just Act! SPS 150, Shakespeare, Mosaic: Mind, Body & Math, and Magnum Opus on Stage with WINGS students in grades 3-6. During WINGS Explore she taught Create, Make, Innovate and Bridges to students in grades 1-3 and Oh, the Places You Will Go! And Castles, Knights, Checkmate! to students in grades 4-5. Over the years, she has also taught Career Exploration and Mentorship, Debate, Ancient Greece and Rome, The Play’s the Thing, LASERS, Law, Architecture, Poetry on Stage, etc. She has even travelled with WINGS and Scholars students to Greece, England and Italy on Explorica field trips. Many of the major units she writes for the specific needs and interests of her gifted students.
She is very involved with LAD (Language Arts Department) Fair and encourages her students to write and submit in up to 80 categories. Many place in this state wide writing contest and some of their works have been honored in Dance a Poem, Writers Hall of Fame or by the Springfield Master Naturalists. “Playing with words is fun, whether you are creating songs, rhymes, plays, poems or short stories,” she adds. “Writing takes practice and skill. You have to work at it. I encourage my students to write about their lives, whether imaginatively or journalistically, developing their writer’s voice and sharing their work it with authentic audiences.”
Ms. Wyckoff also advises the Phelps Chess Club. She has played chess all her life and has a passion for it. Phil Moran, her WINGS teaching partner for many years, loved chess. As a SWEF, Phil Moran was the chess club adviser at Hickory Hills. When he became a Phelps Full Time Program teacher, Ms. Wyckoff took over for him at Hickory Hills.
After meeting Josh Waitzkin, featured in Searching for Bobby Fischer and the author of The Art of Learning and Attacking Chess, at a NAGC Conference she started the Phelps Chess Club and Tournament for WINGS students in grades 1-8. Over 200 students participate each year. During WINGS Explore 2017, she taught Castles, Knights and Checkmate to gifted fourth and fifth graders.
She teaches medieval times as a dramatic interpretation unit to explain chess. She explains that if you think of the chess board as a 64-acre kingdom (8 by 8), all those chess pieces are characters who try to control the kingdom with the objective of capturing the other king. The queen, strong and fierce, can move all over the board. If the queen’s pawns march to the other side of the board, up to eight additional queens can help her take control of the kingdom. She explains how bishops, religious leaders, can move diagonally a “cross” the board. The knights do knight challenges in order to conceptualize how the knights can actually move to every square of the kingdom (“giddyap, giddyap, over”). As in medieval times, each knight generally has four pawns to take care of their needs, which connects to how medieval society functioned. The rooks are castles and guard the kingdom by moving horizontally or vertically. As many may know, the queen moves diagonally, like the bishops, or horizontally or vertically, like the rooks. The students can learn how to play chess as a story. In WINGS Explore, her students stormed the castle, whether at Phelps or Holland, built castles made of recycled materials participated in a Chess4 tournament and in 2 person chess tournaments. Many drew or painted pictures based on literary studies from medieval times. Ms. Wyckoff says, “I can teach anybody to play chess, but I cannot necessarily teach everyone how to win.” She adds, “I encourage chess players to play quietly, be attentive and concentrate while they think about each move and, sometimes, five moves ahead.”
Ms. Wyckoff is coaches the Phelps MOEMS (Mathematical Olympiad for Elementary and Middle School) mathletes. About 35 fifth grade students compete in five monthly contests. “Numeracy is as important at literacy. Some students truly think math and wish to solve good problems that challenge their thinking and require multiple steps. I am so proud of these mathletes and wish to encourage them to dream big and change they think about math. Maybe some will even win medals in math, such as the George Lenchner, Fields or Abel medals.”
Questioning is a also a very important part of learning. Ms. Wyckoff explained a journaling exercise she encourages her students to do where they write 100 questions. The two rules are they must be questions they truly want to know the answers to and questions they do not know the answers to. Then each student pursues the answers. As each student answers a question, they add a new question to their 100 question journal. “This tailors a student’s learning to their individual interests and inspires curiosity for deeper learning,” she says. She quotes from The Little Prince: “The Little Prince never let go of a question once he had asked it. I hope my students persevere and find the answers to the questions they ask, especially the nongoogleable questions.”
Ms. Wyckoff sees the strengths in every student she teaches. She noted that some gifted students demonstrate at risk behaviors. “We have to find something that means something to them.” She wants to see these highly capable children find a reason to want to do something. By the time students are in the fifth grade, they need to be learning and processing and have a social outlet. She believes the innermost thought processes, the intrapersonal and affective educational piece, is what really motivates your passion to learn something new every day. Ms. Wyckoff conveyed the importance of stretching each intelligence (i.e. musical-rhythmic, naturalistic, logical-mathematical, verbal- linguistic, visual spatial, etc.) through their functions (i.e. knowledge, creativity, communication, problem solving, perceptiveness, skills, survival, wisdom, etc.). This aligns with the ancient Greek humors concept. It is best to keep all of the humors alive and thriving. Underneath Ms. Wyckoff’s calm, quiet voice is a menagerie of knowledge and experience that she enthusiastically shares with students and their families. Ms. Wyckoff loves learning with and teaching gifted children. She believes her greatest strength as a gifted teacher is in building relationships with each student and letting them know she believes in them to do good work and to change the world, even if it’s just their circle of influence, for the better. She considers Phelps family.
Ms. Wyckoff loves being with her family and friends. She loves theatre, whether attending or performing in shows. She loves pursing her passions and interests.
Like the compelling patterns of a kaleidoscope, her passion and dedication to education shape every colorful facet of her life. We are blessed to experience the many wonderful qualities Ms. Wyckoff presents to our students, their families, and the gifted education program.