In the late 1980s, when I was a classroom teacher in a poor, rural community, my principal pulled me aside and told me that he was assigning me to teach gifted students. This group of kids, he explained, already knew more than 80% of what was in the regular curriculum, “so you need to build your classroom from the ground up—find the teaching tools and write the curriculum that will challenge these kids.”
I didn’t know where to start. One of the more experienced teachers at the school told me to register for our state’s gifted education conference. That first conference I attended offered me a magical experience. I heard about teachers taking kids to local cemeteries to conduct ethnographic research, using simulations and role-play to help students better grasp complex historical events, and throwing a masquerade party to expose students to English Victorian culture. I returned to my classroom filled with exciting ideas and launched into one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of my life. That conference planted the seed for Prufrock Press. Rather than hearing only a few presenters at one state conference, wouldn’t it be exciting to create a company that offered the best teaching practices and curriculum by authors from around the country and even the world? You bet!
Twenty-five years later, Prufrock Press is the nation’s leading publisher supporting the education of gifted and advanced learners. Our line of more than 500 titles offers teachers and parents exciting, research-based ideas for helping gifted, advanced, and special needs learners.
Joel McIntoshPublisher
For more information on Prufrock Press, see the Frequently Asked Questions page. You can find out more about Prufrock Press and its staff at the Meet Our Staff page.