Kristi Burgess
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Greetings! Allow me to tell you a little about myself and my educational background. After serving a Spanish-speaking LDS mission in Los Angeles, California, I graduated from Brigham Young University in 2000 with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in music. I taught second grade in the Alpine School District for three years and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I had several students in my class whose abilities were advanced far beyond the core curriculum, and I felt unequipped to meet their needs. I observed that the students who were capable of learning the most were actually learning the least because they already knew the skills and concepts I was teaching.
Having been the beneficiary of excellent gifted and talented programs while growing up in Texas, I decided to attend graduate school to obtain a master's degree in Gifted Education from Columbia University in New York City. While at Columbia, I had the opportunity to teach at the Hollingworth Preschool for gifted three- and four-year-olds. Upon returning to Utah, I taught for two years in the Salt Lake City School District’s elementary Extended Learning Program (ELP) for gifted and talented students and subsequently served in a district capacity as the Salt Lake City School District ELP Elementary Specialist. I am currently an adjunct faculty member at Utah State University and Southern Utah University and teach the Creativity in Education course for teachers pursuing a gifted and talented endorsement.
In addition to being a mom to three beautiful little girls, I also teach preschool in my basement part-time, focusing on gifted and talented curriuclum and teaching strategies. It is my belief that young children are capable of so much more advanced learning than we give them credit for! In my spare time, I enjoy group fitness classes, singing, and playing the piano.
I am thrilled for the opportunity to conduct professional development training sessions on gifted education with the wonderful staff here at Wasatch Peak Academy. I firmly believe that the same strategies that are effective in keeping advanced learners challenged also benefit ALL students. I hope to have a positive impact on the already outstanding teaching and learning that takes place at Wasatch Peak Academy.
