Gifted teachers creating gifted classrooms: One exceptional teacher, one exceptional classroom

We hear and talk about gifted teachers and gifted classrooms. What makes a teacher gifted? And what makes their classrooms special? Do they have certain inherent abilities, qualities that make their classrooms more successful than others? Or do they use techniques that make learning more interesting and permanent for their students. This article presents as a case study one unusual classroom and one exceptional elementary teacher. Every student in this room, from the child with disability to the most gifted, is challenged to perform and be successful at a level far beyond their peers. The perspectives of students, former students, parents, teachers and principal illustrate what makes this learning experience so successful. It leaves us asking, “can teachers be trained to provide an enriched environment and teach a curriculum in such a way that every child is challenged to perform far above grade level?”