CTYI’s newest publication “Gifted Education in Ireland and the United States” was launched yesterday by Professor Deborah Eyre. Professor Eyre is an Honorary Professor at the University of Warwick and one of the world’s leading experts in gifted education. She is the author of many books and published research in the field of gifted education and has long been an advocate for gifted children. We had the pleasure of attending her presentation on Exceptional Performance and how we might create the conditions to support this in gifted learners in 2009 at CTYI’s conference of that year. We were looking forward to meeting her again and learning from her many years of experience.
Before launching the book, Professor Eyre gave a talk for parents entitled “Working with Gifted Children”, an interesting presentation with some really great practical advice for parents. There was standing room only in the lecture hall as parents of students attending classes in CTYI took advantage of this opportunity to listen to an international expert in the field. Those present were then invited to attend the launch of the book at the conclusion of Professor Eyre’s presentation. Moving proceedings to DCU’s 1838 Club, Colm O’Reilly first introduced Dr. Jennifer Cross who spoke briefly about the warm and productive relationship between CTYI and the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, before Professor Eyre took over the official duties. Launching the book, Professor Eyre said she was delighted to continue a long relationship with CTYI and spoke of the centre as a “beacon of excellence”, a sentiment shared by many in the wider gifted community.
We were honoured to have been invited to the dinner which followed the book launch. It is always a pleasure to join the staff of CTYI and other colleagues working in gifted education from around the world. Yesterday evening we enjoyed catching up with old friends and new. It is a great credit to CTYI that they have forged such strong relationships with gifted experts and educationalists far and wide. We are part of a large community who work to improve the experiences of gifted children in our education systems. It is invigorating to meet others in the field and share news and experiences which we can bring to our own groups and schools. We are delighted to let you know that at the conclusion of the evening, Dr. Colm O’Reilly did us the honour of agreeing to become the Honorary President of Gifted Ireland.
Gifted Education in Ireland and the United States is available through Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions.
