![\"IMG_8479\"](\"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_8479.jpg\")
<\/a>This is Cabotaje\u2019s 18th<\/sup> year teaching, and 18th<\/sup> year working with gifted students.<\/p>\n\u201cThey have their own set of characteristics, quirks,\u201d Cabotaje said. \u201cThey have challenges just as every other group.\u201d For example, she pointed out, gifted students can be more sensitive to failures or be more intensely focused on always having to be right.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think gifted kids are going to be okay because they are bright,\u201d Cabotaje said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t help these kids understand those characteristics, that will affect their ability to learn well.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, Cabotaje sees her role in schools to be equal parts instructor and counselor \u2013 helping students develop a successful mindset in approaching their work, their classes and their giftedness.<\/p>\n
What does that look like? Cabotaje works hard to ensure students see growth in their work, regardless if a child knows the \u201cright\u201d answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to create an environment where everyone\u2019s perspective has something to offer,\u201d she said. \u201cLearning is often messy. There can be multiple avenues to an answer\/understanding\u2026Being gifted doesn\u2019t always mean finishing first. Successful people often make mistakes. Failure often teaches them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cabotaje points out that schools work hard to address the cognitive needs of the child, but there are also are social\/emotional needs. That is why she reaches out to families, and works with them directly to have a better understanding of where their children are coming from.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s starting conversations between family members,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s getting them knowledgeable to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, Cabotaje works collaboratively with teachers in the building \u2013 in clusters and in planning \u2013 to work with students directly in their classes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a co-creative process,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s the exciting part to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even students in kindergarten and first grade work with Cabotaje on expanding their critical thinking, creative thinking and problem-solving skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell them I\u2019m the \u2018thinking teacher,\u2019\u201d Cabotaje said with a smile. \u201c(I say) \u2018I know you\u2019re thinking all the time, but I am always thinking of new ways for you to think.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether that means continuing her blog, \u201cThe Landstown Mind Vine,\u201d which links students and parents to resources and real-life activities going on at Landstown, or creating the school\u2019s first bridge club in order to strengthen students\u2019 math skills, Cabotaje is dedicated to finding new ways to create the best environments for students to learn.<\/p>\n
And those new ways of thinking have certainly paid off for Cabotaje. She was named the Virginia Association of the Gifted (VAG) Region 2 Outstanding Teacher of the Gifted this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the GRT at Landstown Elementary School, Kim Cabotaje is the quintessential gifted professional,\u201d said Dr. Veleka Gatling, executive director of the Office of Differentiated Programs. \u201cNot only does Kim provide high-quality differentiated instruction using various instructional strategies for the cognitive part of the gifted student, she also seeks to understand the affective domain of the gifted student as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
For her part, Cabotaje credits the award back to the work she shares with her colleagues and administrators at Landstown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have received this award if I didn\u2019t have fabulous people I\u2019m working with,\u201d Cabotaje said. \u201cThey are willing to take chances. They are willing to do things that they didn\u2019t know what the outcome would be.\u201d<\/p>\n
In other words, her success has come from modeling her biggest lesson: In order to learn, you have to take risks.<\/p>\n
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