An Interview with Dr. Jim Delisle

I'm a big fan of James R. Delisle, Ph.D. In fact, back in 1993, when I purchased the journal Gifted Child Today from Marvin and Faye Gold, Dr. Delisle was the first person I contacted to write a standing column for the journal.

I love Jim's common-sense ideas about gifted education and his sensitive, intuitive beliefs about gifted children. Over the years, Jim's column "Au Contraire" has become one of the journal's most popular features. Often controversial, Jim's ideas are always thought-provoking.

I'm proud to announce that Prufrock Press will soon release Dr. Delisle's newest book, Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips for Raising Happy and Successful Children. A middle school teacher, parent, and Kent State University professor, Jim offers warm, funny, and down-to-earth advice for parents of gifted kids in his new book. The book will ship in mid-March.

Recently, I asked one of my editors, Lacy Elwood, to interview Jim. At one point in the interview, Lacy asked Jim what would be the most important piece of advice he could offer parents.

Jim's response says a lot about his respect for gifted children:

I think the best advice I ever received from my son, even though he never told me directly, was to follow his lead. When you have kids who are really bright, they have a lot of directions they want to go in, usually simultaneously. I think the more we, as parents, try to pigeonhole our kids to go a certain route because they're smart or because they're strong in a certain area, that's when it becomes an artificial fit. I'd rather ask my son or my students, "What are you interested in and how can I help you get there?"

And, that's really what we've done with our son. His major in college was creative writing and film studies, and I can't tell you how many adults would kind of look at us and say or think, "What's he ever going to do with a degree in that? How's he going to earn a living?" And, that is certainly the wrong question to ask. If you're passionate about what you want to do, you will find a way to make it work. There are too many parents who make the mistake of trying to take that away. You have to give them that freedom. It's their life to live, not ours.

Read the entire interview with Jim Delisle, Ph.D. It offers a unique perspective on a powerful advocate for gifted children and those who touch the lives of those children.