Check-Up

J had his 6 year check up today. He turned 6 last week. There really isn't anything to report, except that his pediatrician wanted to know if I'd followed up on the information he gave me. I told him that I'd found a a woman from church who sends her daughter to the school he told me about, and that she'd told me that we'd have to pay for the testing to see if J qualifies for the school. Then the doctor asked if my husband has found a job yet, since obviously, we won't be paying for testing if he's unemployed.

But he'll find a job, and I'm pretty sure we'll get J tested. J will finish out his kindergarten year where he is, and if the tests show that he falls in the highly gifted range, we'll make the decision to move him or leave him.

Hallelujah!

I can't believe what I found today. Idaho actually does have gifted resources! They have a web site and a monthly meeting for parents, even. I really thought this state was devoid of help for me.

I don't know why it is so hard to find this site, but what's important is that I did find it.

Treasure Valley PAGE

I'm so excited!

Article

Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm just bragging about how smart my kids are. I don't think most people understand how difficult it can be to keep them happy and growing. And they don't realize that when my kids are not consistently challenged, they act up, getting wild and obnoxious and into trouble. I realized this when J would drive Z nuts in the car, poking and hitting him, or singing nonsense at the top of his lungs. I found I could get him to stop by giving him a math problem.

I bet most people think that my job is a breeze. I mean, good grades and college are guaranteed, right?

This morning, I read a good article about gifted kids:

Finding the Gift in Giftedness by Jennifer ?

This quote from the article really struck me:

"Think of it this way: if you put IQ scores on a Bell curve, the gifted child would be as far to the right as the mentally disabled child is to the left. They are, in their own unique way, “special needs” kids – which creates a big problem when the educational system teaches to the middle or to the lowest common denominator."

Yay! Finally, someone understands and has explained the challenge I face! That's why I sometimes get overwhelmed trying to figure out what my kids need!

That quote also led my thoughts to the other end of that Bell curve. No one would dream of sticking a traditional "special needs" kid in a regular kindergarten class and tell the teacher and parents, "Your kid will be fine. He'll adapt. Let's give it two or three years, then we'll see if your kid needs any special classes." It wouldn't be fair to the teacher, because he would need so much extra attention and create extra work. And DUH, the teacher and parents already know that the child needs special classes.

But that is the system. That's what we have to work with. The decisions we have to make sometimes feel very heavy.