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Hello, Friends!I can’t believe we’re already halfway through summer. The past couple of months have been full in a really good way—traveling with my family, continuing grad school, working with schools and families, serving on the WATG Board, and building new resources for InterestEd.
It’s been busy, but it’s also been really meaningful. I’m so grateful you’re here and following along with me. 🌿
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A glimpse into life this season |
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Summer has officially arrived in the Mukerji household, and it’s been such a fun (and full!) season. We even managed to sneak in a family trip to both Universal and Kansas City (where we got to catch a World Cup match—such a memorable experience)! Ashima is off at Interlochen Arts Camp studying classical voice, Amita is spending her summer at a ballet intensive, and Aryana has been loving both art and gardening camps. Ridhwi has been busy with work (with the occasional fishing excursion mixed in), and I’ve been trying to squeeze in as much gardening as I can between everything else. I’m excited to share a little of what I’ve been working on with you! |
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A lot of what I’ve been working on these past few weeks has been happening behind the scenes. I’ve been meeting with families of gifted and twice-exceptional learners, putting together individualized recommendations, writing new articles, preparing presentations, and continuing to build resources that teachers can use right away in their classrooms.
I’ve also started sharing more of the day-to-day reality of running InterestEd through my new “What I’m Up To Wednesday” video series. Sometimes entrepreneurship looks exciting, but honestly, most days it looks like lesson planning, editing, research, meetings, and a lot of coffee. :) |
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One exciting milestone this summer was having my newest article published by Edutopia, "Setting Up Constraints to Inspire Creative Thinking." In it, I explore how intentionally limiting materials, time, or processes during STEM challenges can actually increase students' creativity and problem-solving skills rather than hinder them. It has been so rewarding to continue writing for Edutopia and contribute to conversations that help bridge educational research with practical classroom strategies. |
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One recent article that caught my attention discussed how two school districts are finding gifted students who have been "hiding in plain sight." Both districts shifted to universal screening rather than relying primarily on teacher or parent referrals, and the results were remarkable. They identified significantly more gifted learners, particularly multilingual students, twice-exceptional students, children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and students whose gifts may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Reading the article reminded me of something I say often: giftedness doesn't only exist in the students we expect to find. Sometimes it simply hasn't been recognized yet.
As educators, we have to continually ask ourselves whether our identification practices are helping us discover potential or unintentionally limiting who gets the opportunity to be challenged. Every child deserves to have their strengths seen and nurtured, and that starts with looking beyond traditional assumptions about what giftedness "looks like." It's encouraging to see districts rethinking these systems, and I hope it's a conversation that continues to grow across the country.
Article: How Two Districts Are Finding Gifted Students "Hiding in Plain Sight" (K-12 Dive)
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Choice boards are one of my favorite ways to increase student engagement while naturally differentiating instruction, giving learners meaningful opportunities for choice, creativity, and challenge. If you've been thinking about trying them in your classroom, I recently shared practical tips and examples on the blog to help you get started. |
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| Giftedness Glossary
If you have families entering gifted education next year, this is a really helpful place to start. This glossary breaks down key terms in a way that’s accessible and easy to understand, which can make a big difference for families who are new to the process.
It’s also a useful tool to revisit as you begin planning for the upcoming school year. Having a shared understanding of terms like differentiation, enrichment, and identification can help guide clearer conversations and stronger support for students.
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| Free Social/Emotional Development Poster |
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Supporting artistically gifted students means understanding not only their talents, but also their unique social and emotional needs. Download my free Artistically Gifted Students: Social & Emotional Development Chart for a quick reference to help you better recognize, understand, and support these exceptional learners.
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Is giftedness real, or is it simply a label we've created? In my latest blog post, I respond to the recent New York Magazine article The Mirage of the Gifted Child and explore what the research actually tells us about giftedness, identification, and why these learners deserve appropriate support. |
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One of my favorite milestones this summer was celebrating Hope officially becoming a certified therapy dog! In my latest blog post, I share our journey to certification and how I'm excited to begin using Hope to support students, educators, and our community through animal-assisted learning and connection. |
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"How do I challenge advanced learners without creating an entirely separate curriculum?" |
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This is probably one of the questions I hear most often, and the good news is that it usually doesn't require starting from scratch. More often than not, it's about designing opportunities for greater depth rather than simply increasing the amount of work. Offering meaningful choices, encouraging authentic problem solving, allowing students to pursue their own questions, and providing appropriate levels of challenge can often make a tremendous difference. Small shifts in instructional design frequently have a much bigger impact than teachers expect. Every classroom has students who are ready for more, and thoughtful flexibility helps us meet them where they are. |
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| What Topic would help you most right now? Start the survey to let me know - and I will feature that topic next month! |
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One book I recommend over and over again is Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare. It's one of my favorite resources for helping parents and educators better understand executive functioning and provides practical, research-based strategies that can make an immediate difference for students. |
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Support for the Year Ahead
As I look ahead to the new school year, I'm currently booking speaking engagements, professional development workshops, instructional coaching, and gifted education consultations for schools and families. If you're looking for practical, research-based support to better challenge advanced learners, strengthen differentiation, or create engaging learning experiences for all students, I'd love to connect and see how I can help.
👉 Learn more about working together
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