Saskia van Damme about RITHA

Saskia van Damme
For me, it was also really helpful to start at big questions together with gifted specialists: what is needed in the world?
Name
Saskia van Damme
Current role
Coach for the highly gifted, teacher and mentor of the Parnassos class

After working with high ability children for years, Saskia van Damme wanted to learn more about the academic knowledge on how to help gifted children. That is why she chose to enrol in the RITHA Specialist course.

Immediately after her enrolment, she was asked to interview for a high school to provide help to high ability children. There, she among others started with the Parnassos class: a special class for gifted students who require a little more guidance. The pupils are 9 years old when they come in and they are guided by using executive functions, projects, collaboration, taking on challenges, and positive psychology. Basically everything gifted students need to make a good start at the gymnasium and to have enough knowledge for the rest of their school career.

“During my final research, I started investigating which components definitely needed to be addressed in the Parnassos class and what had already been addressed in science. So for me it was very helpful and very practical at the same time. I also really enjoyed the fact that we had fellow students; our own peer group. I learned a lot from them and I am still in contact with some of them. For me, that was also very helpful to start looking together as gifted specialists: what is needed in the world? How can we make it even more clear to the world that this kind of education is really very much needed?”