Nysmith School for the Gifted and Talented

Interview with Carol Nysmith, Founder and Visionary Educator
Tucked away between the office parks and suburban neighborhoods of Herndon, VA, a vibrant and busy school for highly-talented students stands alone among Washington DC-area private schools. The Nysmith School for the Gifted and Talented offers preschool through 8th grade differentiated instruction that truly meets the need of challenging the brightest students to their greatest potentials. The school is very diverse, in both its population and range of offerings in academics and the arts, well-reflecting the professionally advanced population of the Northern
Virginia suburbs.

What’s absolutely refreshing about this amazing school is the environment within which both the students and teachers excel. In this era of “no child left behind”, the Nysmith School is doing its part in making sure that children with very advanced educational needs are properly accommodated, no matter their age or grade. The students not only respond, they thrive at a rate and quality any other school environment would be hard-pressed to match. The teachers respond too – nowhere else will you find such universal commitment to individual potential, proactive flexibility with instruction
techniques, and absolute professionalism in their interactions with students and parents.

Since the day my family first visited this school, soaked in its energy, and met with the superbly competent and caring staff, we were hooked. Since then, we’ve truly come to understand and actually experience how quickly children can grow to meet their almost limitless potential, given a well-managed, friendly and highly responsive community of learning.

What type of student does Nysmith School for the Gifted and Talented accept? Can you define
‘gifted’?
Our school accepts scholastically talented students who show curiosity, desire to learn, and ability to get along with others. Gifted children are generally gifted in many areas and we try to expose the students to art, languages, sports, computers and music. Our children come from all over the world.
Tell us about your background. What motivated you to create the Nysmith School?
I came from the Fairfax Center Based Gifted program and I wanted to offer a gifted program for kindergarten through second grade. I wanted to teach students to reach their potential. That meant that we needed to have multiple levels of reading and math for every age group. We added co-teachers to all the classrooms. These are equally qualified teachers who work in tandem
with the master teacher. We started with 55 students in the fall of 1984.
What makes Nysmith different than any other school in the area?
I do not know of any other school like Nysmith. I hire highly intelligent, creative, and sharing teachers who inspire other teachers to reach for new clever ways to teach the curriculum. They come from all areas of the country as well as the world. They take graduate work and workshops and we incorporate many of those ideas if we feel they will work for the gifted child.
What is your professional background?
I taught a year in Lawrence, Kansas where my husband completed another degree. I taught ten years in California, and then came to Virginia where I loved teaching in the gifted program.
Are all children capable of excelling at Nysmith?
I believe all students would succeed with our type of program. We offer small numbers of students in each classroom, lots of manipulative, hands-on science, computer instruction, character education and much more. Nysmith, however, does have an IQ qualification as well as behavior standards.

You offer only full time programs to children as young as 3. How do you accommodate children that young in such a rigorous environment?
When my own grandsons went into the three year old program I was amazed what they learned. They take French, computers, reading and math every day. They teach with games, not paperwork. Some three year olds are already reading and doing math. That, however, is unusual. Most children at that age were just learning letters and counting. They also nap in the afternoon.
What has changed in your philosophy and business model since 1983?
My philosophy has not changed. I am thrilled with the wonderful ideas that our teachers dream up. We did add a preschool, after school, and summer school programs but our regular academic program is as enriching and challenging as ever.
Tell us about some of the outstanding Nysmith students.
We have star students in music, sports, writing,and the sciences. These students will be the leaders of tomorrow and they are taught to think, to be compassionate and ethical. They are all stars and will contribute to our country.
What have you learned from teaching gifted students?
I have learned that all teachers need to have patience and humor when working with gifted students.
Has there ever been a moment where you were challenged in your business and school model?
When we first started there were many who felt our program was much too academic for children. We felt that they were underestimating what young children are capable of accomplishing. Time has proved that children will learn and absorb so much more that most adults give them credit. When treated respectfully they will return that respect. We are always challenged to find new and exciting
programs for our students. We have added bands, orchestra, chorus, etc. to try to meet these challenges. We have added enriching clubs for the students after school.
What are the future plans for Nysmith?
We have 720 students in three years old through eighth grade. That is where we will stay. The high schools do an outstanding job of meeting our students’ needs when they reach high school. My future plans are simply to continue to provide an outstanding and unusual program for gifted students and teachers.

Story by Kelly McLaughlan
Pictures by Kelvin Ikhide www. IKPHOTOGRAPHY.com