How does VEG compare to other Long Island gifted and talented programs?
Unlike other Long Island gifted and talented programs, VEG has classes "seven-days-a-week"
offers small classes, private instruction and homeschooling all year round
has a small student-teacher ratio
is one of the only Long Island gifted and talented programs offering enrichment to gifted students beginning at age four through eighteen
offers free guidance and support to VEG parents when communicating with classroom teachers and school administrators
provides free customized enrichment packets to be used by the VEG student's classroom teacher or school administrator
About the founder of the Village East Gifted Long Island gifted and talented programs
Tobi J. Phillips, Ed. D. (cert.) has been teaching students in grades K-12 for over 35 years.
has received her B.A. from Ithaca College with a double major in Vocal Music and Anthropology.
has earned three masters from Boston College: M.A., M.Ed., Masters in Special Education and Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
was accepted into the doctoral program at Teachers College, Columbia University where she became Ed. D. certified in Education and Instructional Technology.
holds the following certifications: Gifted Education, Early Childhood-Kindergarten, Grades 1-6 and Social Studies/English Grades 7-12, Special Education, Special Education for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Braille Transcription, Peripatology (Orientation and Mobility for the Blind).
Licensed from New York State in Archeological Excavation.
awarded the New York State Liberty Medal for outstanding community service
Unlike other Long Island gifted and talented programs, Village East Gifted:
Uses curriculum solely created and written by Tobi J. Phillips, Ed. D. (cert.)
Recognizes that gifted students, who yearn for long island gifted and talented programs, need more challenging and creative enrichment experiences outside the classroom.
implements innovative classroom competitive activities to engage and challenge its gifted students
Acknowledges the realization that gifted students can retain more facts and ideologies than their 'same-grade' peers making it more difficult to 'unveil' their thoughts on paper in a coherent and sequential format
Includes a strong writing component emphasizing the importance of proper grammar
Teaches strategies for organizing facts and ideas in the form of reports, research papers, essays and short stories.
a sorely needed curriculum involving an in-depth study of advanced geography is taught. Facts about our continents and their political borders, capital cities, cultural characteristics, famous landmarks and topographical features are studied and memorized forever using the Phillips RBM Approach (Reawakening Brilliant Minds). Simultaneously, the significance of "relative locations" will be analyzed revealing the underlying reasons for the interconnection of geographical phenomena.