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Previous Speakers — Speaker Series

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Community Room
Redwood City Public Library
Redwood City, Calif.

Wes Beach - High School Alternatives & Early College Options

Wes Beach has helped over a thousand students move on to college and adventures on their own, with those students often skipping much or even all of high school. He has also assisted many students with concurrent enrollment at community colleges as part of their education as homeschoolers.

Wes is an entertaining speaker who will talk about ways to spend the "high school years" as a homeschooler and about creating high school transcripts. He'll also discuss choosing, applying to, and being accepted at colleges in California as a young homeschooler, relating stories of the many young people he has helped on the way to their destinies.

Wes's own son took his first college course as a ten-year-old, and had earned his Bachelor's degree by age 17 and, after a few years of work, his Ph.D. Wes has worked with many other young people who are on a different timetable, and who have more imaginative goals, than that which traditional education allows. Wes takes a creative approach to helping intelligent young people access college courses and any other educational strategies they desire. He has worked with colleges and universities all over California, and beyond, and will share his inside information about colleges in which we are specifically interested.

He will also talk about the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) and the issues surrounding it that concern many homeschooling parents. He'll answer our many questions and we'll leave feeling enlightened and inspired about early college access for our children. Wes provides educational consulting through Beach High School.

Just added, following Wes Beach's presentation:
Early College Student Panel —young students who are taking college courses, from part-time community college courses to full-time university studies. They will share their experiences and answer questions from the audience.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Community Room
Redwood City Public Library
Redwood City, Calif.

Dr. Daniel B. Peters - Anxiety in Gifted and Twice-Exceptional Youth

Dr. Dan Peters, a clinical psychologist, will discuss anxiety in gifted and twice-exceptional youth in a presentation to our group. He will talk about the brain, adrenalin, what anxiety looks like in kids, and what makes gifted and 2e kids susceptible to anxiety. He will describe the cognitive model (how we think makes us feel certain ways) and teach cognitive strategies (identify and replace thoughts, question validity of thoughts), mindfulness approaches (stay in the present), and behavioral approaches (one step at a time, practice).

Dr. Peters is a licensed psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and families, with special emphasis on gifted and twice-exceptional individuals. His clinical interests include the diagnosis and misdiagnosis of gifted and twice-exceptional individuals, and overcoming anxiety. He recently opened a new clinic in Walnut Creek, Summit Center, which specializes in gifted, talented, and creative individuals and their families. He also has an office in Napa. He is on the editorial advisory board of SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). This fall, Dr. Peters will be organizing a SENG Parent Discussion Group in Walnut Creek.

Dr. Peters' PowerPoint presentation for his talk to our group may be downloaded here (.ppt, 168K).