A Slice with 'Dice

We’ve reached the point where comfort has become the new currency in education—and it’s bankrupting student resilience. What if the accommodations we’re offering aren’t helping students cope, but quietly teaching them to avoid life itself?

ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores how well-intentioned supports can turn into permanent crutches, why scaffolding should be temporary, and how educators can help students build real, lasting structures of confidence and capability instead of relying on protection that never fades.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

Some people call gifted kids “weird,” but maybe that’s just what it looks like when someone’s brain refuses to color inside the lines. What if the thing that makes them different is exactly what the world needs more of?

ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores why gifted students are so often misunderstood, how divergent thinking shapes their perception of the world, and why curiosity and intensity should be seen as creative assets—not social oddities.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

Equity in gifted education requires more than resources — it begins with listening carefully to dissatisfaction across all student groups. Policies and practices must ensure that every intentionality is met with the right opportunities.

In episode six of a six-part series, ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice draws the series to a close by connecting the Catalytic Agency Model to equity and policy. He argues that while Transitional students are often visible, Transformational, Typical, and especially Catalytic students are more easily overlooked unless schools and systems intentionally listen to dissatisfaction as signal. This episode emphasizes why policy must expand beyond test-based measures to include mentoring, belonging, and specialized environments. Special attention is given to the role of residential schools as equity engines, serving rural, low-income, and first-generation students whose dissatisfaction cannot be met in traditional settings. The series concludes with a call for educators, leaders, and policymakers to protect and expand these opportunities, treating dissatisfaction as the clearest guide for transformation.

Learn more about the Catalytic Agency model of talent development.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

Some students demand more than piecemeal solutions — their dissatisfaction is comprehensive, spanning rigor, belonging, and context. These Catalytic students are rare, but when matched with the right environments, they can transform themselves and their schools.

In episode five of a six-part series, ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores the concept of Catalytic Agency in depth, positioning it as the heart of the model and a new way of thinking about gifted education. He explains how Catalytic Agency differs from traditional theories that focus solely on traits or test scores by centering the interaction between student dissatisfaction and the learning environment. This episode argues that specialized and residential schools exist precisely because they provide the holistic mix of acceleration, elevation, and separation that Catalytic students require. Listeners will see why these students both challenge and justify the structures we build to support gifted learners.

Learn more about the Catalytic Agency model of talent development.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

Recognizing dissatisfaction is only half the work; the other half is knowing how to act on it. Schools can respond with three core levers — but only when sequenced wisely do these interventions close satisfaction gaps.

In episode four of a six-part series, ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores the three levers of practice — acceleration, elevation, and separation — that educators can use to respond to dissatisfaction. Drawing from classroom and program examples, he explains how acceleration raises ceilings for students seeking rigor, how elevation affirms identity for those craving belonging, and how separation provides new contexts for students needing freedom from misfit environments. This episode also highlights the risks of mis-sequencing these interventions and offers insights into how schools can apply them not only to individual students but at the systems and policy levels.

Learn more about the Catalytic Agency model of talent development.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

When intentionalities blend, they form distinct paradigms of student experience — each carrying its own risks and opportunities. Understanding these blends can help educators design responses that truly match students’ needs.

In episode three of a six-part series, ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice examines the three main paradigms of student experience — Transitional, Transformational, and Typical — before introducing Catalytic Agency as the integrative force at the center. He illustrates how Transitional students combine hunger for rigor with the need for affirmation, how Transformational students blend belonging with the desire to escape, and how Typical students mix restlessness with the search for new contexts. By understanding these paradigms, educators gain sharper insight into why students pursue specialized opportunities and how schools can more carefully sequence support.

Learn more about the Catalytic Agency model of talent development.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

Students express dissatisfaction in different ways — some want more rigor, others long for belonging, while still others need a whole new context. Recognizing these intentionalities helps educators respond with precision rather than guesswork.

In episode two of a six-part series, ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores the three intentionalities that shape student dissatisfaction: Eclipse, Evolve, and Escape. Through vivid examples, he shows how Eclipse students hunger for harder challenges, Evolve students crave affirmation and belonging, and Escape students need freedom from stifling environments. This episode emphasizes why listening carefully to dissatisfaction helps schools move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions and design responses that match what students are actually seeking.

Learn more about the Catalytic Agency model of talent development.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

Every student has moments of restlessness in school, but what if that dissatisfaction isn’t a problem to solve — what if it’s the clearest sign of readiness to grow? By reframing dissatisfaction as a signal, educators can uncover hidden pathways of student agency.

In episode one of a six-part series, ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores the idea of the “satisfaction gap” — the distance between what students are experiencing and what they believe they need to thrive. Rather than silencing boredom, withdrawal, or frustration, this episode reframes those behaviors as signals of readiness. Educators will come away with a new perspective on dissatisfaction as a catalyst for growth and as the essential starting point for talent development.

Learn more about the Catalytic Agency model of talent development.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

For many juniors, the PSAT feels like a dress rehearsal for the SAT—a low-stakes warm-up that doesn’t really matter. But hidden behind that “practice” label is one of the biggest scholarship opportunities in high school.

ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice explores why students shouldn’t blow off the PSAT this October, unpacking how it serves as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and why that distinction matters. He explains how the National Merit Index Score differs from the standard PSAT score, why the English and verbal sections count twice as much toward qualification, and what’s really at stake for those aiming to earn National Merit recognition. 

Whether you’re a test-taker, a parent, or an educator, this episode offers clear insight into how one morning of effort could open doors to major college scholarships and academic distinction.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.

In school, failure is often treated as something to be avoided at all costs. But what if failure is actually the very thing that unlocks growth?

ASMSA Executive Director Corey Alderdice reflects on his recent training journey with former world champion arm wrestler Monster Michael Todd, drawing parallels between strength training and the growth mindset educators seek to instill in students. Along the way, he explores how small, incremental progress matters more than sweeping changes, why failure can be a teacher, and how persistence shapes both physical and academic growth.

For additional thoughts from Corey, visit coreyalderdice.com.

You can also follow him on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, BlueSky, YouTube, Instagram, and Threads.