Talk about being on the ball! This evening, on the way home from an evening out with the family for Dad's birthday, J suddenly remembered that he "got to leave class and go to a nice lady's office, and she tested me!"
During the drive home, and then when we got in the house, he described the test. He built patterns with blocks to match the pictures she gave him to look at. He had to find matching symbols in a set. She asked him some vocabulary words (he thinks he remembers the word "vocabulary" being one of the vocabulary words). And there were grouping questions, where he had to look at four pictures and group two of them together. He drew out a sample question, with a rake, a bucket, a shovel, and a car. He grouped the rake and the shovel, because they're both garden tools. Dad suggested that a bucket and a shovel would work together, too, but J just didn't think that was a very good answer :)
J told us that the test was for all kids, from his age all the way up to high school. He seemed to feel very cool taking the same test that really big kids take. I hadn't really understood what the Challenge Facilitator had meant when she told me the same information yesterday, but now I believe it means that everyone starts at the beginning, and as the questions grow progressively more difficult, the child won't be able to answer them, and that is the child's level of ability. I like this idea, because it eliminates hitting a ceiling. J couldn't possibly max out a high school curriculum the way he maxed out his kindergarten grammar program.
He also reported that this "nice lady" thought it would maybe take more than one day to finish the tests, but after a break, he finished the whole thing! That was an hour and a half of testing he did, according to the estimate the psychologist gave me at the IEP.
I am amused at how quickly the psychologist got to testing J. It seems that she was being completely truthful when she said that she was excited to test him, because "he sounds fun." But even so, at the IEP, she thought it would be next week at the earliest.
From J's very thorough and accurate description of the test, Dad thinks that he probably did quite well on it. J said it was hard sometimes, but pretty fun, especially the blocks.
I can't wait to hear about the academic testing next week!
Friday, September 24, 2010
First IEP
I met with a whole slew of people today at J's school. I was surprised and a bit intimidated to see 7 people around a conference table, waiting for me. I was already quite nervous, having read all sorts of horror stories about antagonistic schools trying to talk parents out of skipping their children up a grade. There's a very entertaining web page made up of these ridiculous stories, which you can visit by clicking this link.
I was prepared with some of J's work, which I'd hurriedly gathered from his "art book" (a binder I slip his special creations into) and other mounds of paper throughout the house. I was prepared to defend my stance that J is gifted. I was prepared to discount J's teacher's apparent disinterest in his abilities.
And I needed none of it!
Everyone there was quite cooperative, even J's teacher. The Challenge Facilitator (she helps run the Gifted program) asked me to tell them about J. I told them that our first inkling was when he was 2, and I was explaining about Easter to him. I told him that the Easter Bunny would come and leave things in his Easter basket. He interrupted me to say, "Yeah, I know, and last year, there were cars in my eggs." I looked back at pictures, and sure enough, he got Hot Wheels in his Easter eggs! There were exclamations of "whoa!" and "he was TWO? And he remembered when he was ONE?"
Then I told them of how he learned to read. He could read 3- and 4-letter words at age 3 1/2, but wasn't really interested until I "hit the jackpot" buy buying him Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? for his fifth birthday. He read the entire book to me when we got home. 6 months later, when he started kindergarten, he was reading Magic Treehouse books. Now, he's reading 6th grade books, and this summer, he read the Chronicles of Narnia. One lady asked, "Did he just read one of the books?" "No, the whole series," I replied. "And then he watched the movie and told me which parts were different." "Wow!" she said.
I also said that he'd taught himself to add and subtract at age 4, and by 4 1/2, he'd moved on to multiplication by grouping things in equal numbers to count them.
I could have gone on and on, of course, but they seemed to be satisfied, and asked J's teacher to speak. "Well, it's only the 18th day of school," she quipped, "but when J answers questions, it's like he's on a totally different page than any other first grader. He explains that such and such is true because I know that such and such is true. And he thinks in the abstract. It's very obvious that he's thinking very differently from most kids."
"Phew!" I thought. I was so worried that she would have no way of seeing his talents and abilities in a regular first-grade classroom setting.
Then the Challenge Facilitator began to explain the testing process. J will have to test 90th percentile or above to skip to second grade. They don't want him to move up just to become an average second grader. They want him to remain at the top of his class. But skipping a grade doesn't mean he will qualify for the Challenge (gifted) program. For that, he will have to test 98 percentile or higher. So if he tests between 90th and 97th, we'll have a tough decision to make. But I remember testing in the 98th percentile when I was a kid (although I had no idea what that meant), and I certainly feel like J is smarter than I am, so I have hope that he'll qualify for both skipping and Challenge.
She also talked about the test she'd be administering, which would be academic in nature. It's long, so she'll break it up into 2 or 3 parts to avoid wearing J out. He will be tested by his age, not by grade.
The school psychologist chimed in to talk about her portion of the testing. It will be for cognitive and reasoning skills. I believe this is the part I remember about my own testing as a child. We did puzzles and built with blocks and such things. It was fun. I think J will enjoy it. The psychologist had an excited gleam in her eye when she said, "I can't wait to meet him. He sounds fun!" I'm sure he'll be a very interesting case for her.
One of the administrators had been taking minutes. He read them back to us and I signed a consent for testing, and that was that. I thanked them all for making it so easy. Then I went out in the lobby to wait for school to end.
While I was out there, the Challenge Facilitator came out and sat down to chat with me. She explained that she'd asked me to talk about J because some parents ask for their child to skip because they'd gone to a Montessori preschool. They claimed that their child already knew everything from kindergarten, so they needed to skip. Early education does not a gifted child make! I feel bad for those parents, who has obviously been planning all of that for years, and made some false assumptions. All that hot-housing was for naught!
The Facilitator was pleased that J had real reason to be tested, and cleared up some questions that had occurred to me as I sat there and waited. She also told me about a special immersion program in our district at a different elementary school. I was not aware that our district had that program, although our pediatrician had discovered a similar program the next district over. And to my great relief, it is much closer to our home than his current school! If J tests high enough for the gifted program, and skips to second grade, he would be able to go to that school next year as a third grader. Well, I guess there's great demand to get into that school, so it might not work out that quickly for us. We'd have to win another lottery to get in. It is attached to a regular elementary school, so Z would be able to go there for kindergarten. We'd love to have him get J's kindergarten teacher, but not enough to drive him to a separate school.
I have faith that everything will work out for the best. I'm doing the best I know how, and I can only leave the rest up to God.
I was prepared with some of J's work, which I'd hurriedly gathered from his "art book" (a binder I slip his special creations into) and other mounds of paper throughout the house. I was prepared to defend my stance that J is gifted. I was prepared to discount J's teacher's apparent disinterest in his abilities.
And I needed none of it!
Everyone there was quite cooperative, even J's teacher. The Challenge Facilitator (she helps run the Gifted program) asked me to tell them about J. I told them that our first inkling was when he was 2, and I was explaining about Easter to him. I told him that the Easter Bunny would come and leave things in his Easter basket. He interrupted me to say, "Yeah, I know, and last year, there were cars in my eggs." I looked back at pictures, and sure enough, he got Hot Wheels in his Easter eggs! There were exclamations of "whoa!" and "he was TWO? And he remembered when he was ONE?"
Then I told them of how he learned to read. He could read 3- and 4-letter words at age 3 1/2, but wasn't really interested until I "hit the jackpot" buy buying him Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? for his fifth birthday. He read the entire book to me when we got home. 6 months later, when he started kindergarten, he was reading Magic Treehouse books. Now, he's reading 6th grade books, and this summer, he read the Chronicles of Narnia. One lady asked, "Did he just read one of the books?" "No, the whole series," I replied. "And then he watched the movie and told me which parts were different." "Wow!" she said.
I also said that he'd taught himself to add and subtract at age 4, and by 4 1/2, he'd moved on to multiplication by grouping things in equal numbers to count them.
I could have gone on and on, of course, but they seemed to be satisfied, and asked J's teacher to speak. "Well, it's only the 18th day of school," she quipped, "but when J answers questions, it's like he's on a totally different page than any other first grader. He explains that such and such is true because I know that such and such is true. And he thinks in the abstract. It's very obvious that he's thinking very differently from most kids."
"Phew!" I thought. I was so worried that she would have no way of seeing his talents and abilities in a regular first-grade classroom setting.
Then the Challenge Facilitator began to explain the testing process. J will have to test 90th percentile or above to skip to second grade. They don't want him to move up just to become an average second grader. They want him to remain at the top of his class. But skipping a grade doesn't mean he will qualify for the Challenge (gifted) program. For that, he will have to test 98 percentile or higher. So if he tests between 90th and 97th, we'll have a tough decision to make. But I remember testing in the 98th percentile when I was a kid (although I had no idea what that meant), and I certainly feel like J is smarter than I am, so I have hope that he'll qualify for both skipping and Challenge.
She also talked about the test she'd be administering, which would be academic in nature. It's long, so she'll break it up into 2 or 3 parts to avoid wearing J out. He will be tested by his age, not by grade.
The school psychologist chimed in to talk about her portion of the testing. It will be for cognitive and reasoning skills. I believe this is the part I remember about my own testing as a child. We did puzzles and built with blocks and such things. It was fun. I think J will enjoy it. The psychologist had an excited gleam in her eye when she said, "I can't wait to meet him. He sounds fun!" I'm sure he'll be a very interesting case for her.
One of the administrators had been taking minutes. He read them back to us and I signed a consent for testing, and that was that. I thanked them all for making it so easy. Then I went out in the lobby to wait for school to end.
While I was out there, the Challenge Facilitator came out and sat down to chat with me. She explained that she'd asked me to talk about J because some parents ask for their child to skip because they'd gone to a Montessori preschool. They claimed that their child already knew everything from kindergarten, so they needed to skip. Early education does not a gifted child make! I feel bad for those parents, who has obviously been planning all of that for years, and made some false assumptions. All that hot-housing was for naught!
The Facilitator was pleased that J had real reason to be tested, and cleared up some questions that had occurred to me as I sat there and waited. She also told me about a special immersion program in our district at a different elementary school. I was not aware that our district had that program, although our pediatrician had discovered a similar program the next district over. And to my great relief, it is much closer to our home than his current school! If J tests high enough for the gifted program, and skips to second grade, he would be able to go to that school next year as a third grader. Well, I guess there's great demand to get into that school, so it might not work out that quickly for us. We'd have to win another lottery to get in. It is attached to a regular elementary school, so Z would be able to go there for kindergarten. We'd love to have him get J's kindergarten teacher, but not enough to drive him to a separate school.
I have faith that everything will work out for the best. I'm doing the best I know how, and I can only leave the rest up to God.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Human Compass
Z (4) sat down on the kitchen floor a few minutes ago, with his legs sitting out straight. He asked, "Mom, is this way North?"
"Why, yes, Z, it is North!"
"Then this is South, right?" as he spun around 180 degrees.
"Very good, Z!" I cheered.
"And this way is West." He was right again!
"And this way is East!"
"That's really good, Z. How did yo know that?" I questioned.
"My really smart brain just told me."
And there you have it.
"Why, yes, Z, it is North!"
"Then this is South, right?" as he spun around 180 degrees.
"Very good, Z!" I cheered.
"And this way is West." He was right again!
"And this way is East!"
"That's really good, Z. How did yo know that?" I questioned.
"My really smart brain just told me."
And there you have it.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A New Path Presents Itself
I felt rather guided the other day. I had not planned to do anything in particular, and for some reason, I decided to make a phone call. A mom from Mommapedia had referred me to a website for parents of children who need special education. The website is devoted entirely to disabled kids, so I was hesitant to call, but the Mommapedia mom assured me that they could help.
And they did! Actually, it was a she. And she just did some web research, but came up with lots of pages to look at and lots of different options. And lots of different phone numbers. And every one of these sentences starts with "and." And I'm sorry about that.
The first number I called was the Idaho State Department of Education, who gave me some information and the name and phone number of the new head of gifted programs in my school district. I know I've called and talked with the head of that department before, and was given the usual runaround. But there's a new gal in town, and she gave me all sorts of new information! I was very excited to find out about a school rather closer to our home that has a gifted immersion program. It doesn't start until 3rd grade, but I was thinking we'd have to drive 1/2 an hour to a school in the other district to get him an immersion program!
She told me to talk with J's principal. I don't know why I'd never thought to do that. And she described a possible path for us to take, involving J skipping first grade. I don't know how I feel about skipping grades in general. I didn't want J to skip kindergarten. It was fun, and only half a day, a great way to get used to going to school. I didn't see any reason to start his school career in first grade. But moving up to second grade now means that he could start the pull-out gifted program immediately. Which is a big benefit from a jump that he could probably handle quite easily.
To make things even easier, J is buds with an outstanding 2nd grade teacher. They talk at "parent pick-up" while J's waiting for me to take him home. I don't know if we could get him into his class, but they would both like that to happen.
I talked with the principal over the phone, and it's truly a miracle that she occupied the post of gifted coordinator just 3 years ago! I told her briefly about a few of J's abilities, and she actually believed me. She will be calling me this week to set up a meeting with a few key people, such as the school psychologist. She will also speak to J's teacher about the evaluations she has done. I'll be very interested to know what she's found out, since I'm sure her usual evaluations have a ceiling far below J's capabilities.
And then J will be tested. This is a HUGE step in the right direction, and an answer to prayers. We can not pay for private testing after Z's seizures wiped out our health savings account. The school will pick up the tab and make recommendations for his schooling. Then we get to decide what to do. We could leave him in 1st grade, even after going through all of that. It's a no-risk proposition, and I'm quite excited about it.
As for how I'm feeling about skipping J? While it's a scary decision to make, I keep reminding myself that this is J. He's always been mature and crazy smart. I really think he can handle it. In fact, I think he'd thrive on the challenge. I'm not at all sure that skipping just one grade will be enough, but it's a step in the right direction. And he naturally has some skills that need to catch up, like his handwriting and study skills.
Dad isn't so sure. He worries about J being the youngest in his class, about sports, about all sorts of things that most people think of. I did, too, before I began my research about giftedness. I want him to feel good about this, too, if the says J is likely to succeed. But mostly, I think I could never make this decision without a good deal of serious prayer!
And they did! Actually, it was a she. And she just did some web research, but came up with lots of pages to look at and lots of different options. And lots of different phone numbers. And every one of these sentences starts with "and." And I'm sorry about that.
The first number I called was the Idaho State Department of Education, who gave me some information and the name and phone number of the new head of gifted programs in my school district. I know I've called and talked with the head of that department before, and was given the usual runaround. But there's a new gal in town, and she gave me all sorts of new information! I was very excited to find out about a school rather closer to our home that has a gifted immersion program. It doesn't start until 3rd grade, but I was thinking we'd have to drive 1/2 an hour to a school in the other district to get him an immersion program!
She told me to talk with J's principal. I don't know why I'd never thought to do that. And she described a possible path for us to take, involving J skipping first grade. I don't know how I feel about skipping grades in general. I didn't want J to skip kindergarten. It was fun, and only half a day, a great way to get used to going to school. I didn't see any reason to start his school career in first grade. But moving up to second grade now means that he could start the pull-out gifted program immediately. Which is a big benefit from a jump that he could probably handle quite easily.
To make things even easier, J is buds with an outstanding 2nd grade teacher. They talk at "parent pick-up" while J's waiting for me to take him home. I don't know if we could get him into his class, but they would both like that to happen.
I talked with the principal over the phone, and it's truly a miracle that she occupied the post of gifted coordinator just 3 years ago! I told her briefly about a few of J's abilities, and she actually believed me. She will be calling me this week to set up a meeting with a few key people, such as the school psychologist. She will also speak to J's teacher about the evaluations she has done. I'll be very interested to know what she's found out, since I'm sure her usual evaluations have a ceiling far below J's capabilities.
And then J will be tested. This is a HUGE step in the right direction, and an answer to prayers. We can not pay for private testing after Z's seizures wiped out our health savings account. The school will pick up the tab and make recommendations for his schooling. Then we get to decide what to do. We could leave him in 1st grade, even after going through all of that. It's a no-risk proposition, and I'm quite excited about it.
As for how I'm feeling about skipping J? While it's a scary decision to make, I keep reminding myself that this is J. He's always been mature and crazy smart. I really think he can handle it. In fact, I think he'd thrive on the challenge. I'm not at all sure that skipping just one grade will be enough, but it's a step in the right direction. And he naturally has some skills that need to catch up, like his handwriting and study skills.
Dad isn't so sure. He worries about J being the youngest in his class, about sports, about all sorts of things that most people think of. I did, too, before I began my research about giftedness. I want him to feel good about this, too, if the says J is likely to succeed. But mostly, I think I could never make this decision without a good deal of serious prayer!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Food Update
The peanut butter and crackers was a huge success! Only 2 apple slices and 2/3 of his juice came back home. Which actually was perfect because Z was starving and "so so so so so so so so so thirsty." I guess, technically, the apple slices and juice didn't make it home, because Z polished them off in the car.
Today, I packed half a PB&J, but cut up into little squares to make them more fun and faster to eat.
I never knew lunch-packing could be so complicated!
Today, I packed half a PB&J, but cut up into little squares to make them more fun and faster to eat.
I never knew lunch-packing could be so complicated!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Friends and Food
I am so happy to have made a friend who has gifted children. She understands the challenge, and actually is going through far more than I think I'll have to with my children. Her daughter is highly gifted and has some sensory issues. She has been a difficult child, with tantrums and all that fun stuff from early on. Now, they have to take her to weekly psychology appointments just to help her be happy. Poor thing!
I was talking with this friend about the problems her daughter had when she started first grade. Apparently, kindergarten was really great for her. It was fun and interesting, and her family got a much-needed break from the high-intensity tantrums and difficult behavior. But everything came back with a vengeance when first grade rolled around. That's one reason I've been worried about J starting first grade. And because it's not all coloring and learning songs and snack time. The learning takes up more time in the day, but it's all stuff that J already knows. That equals a much greater chance for boredom and misbehavior.
Anyway, one thing she learned from her daughter's psychologist is that her daughter is trying to be good and hold herself together all day long in school, so when she gets home, she falls apart. I think everyone can identify with that. She's dealing with stress that is much too "old" for her in ways that are age appropriate. She freaks out about textures. She's grumpy from dealing with stress and boredom all day, so little things annoy her, like how scratchy that fabric is. Most kids don't end up with these sorts of behaviors, even though they're age-appropriate, because they're not subjected to the same amount of stress. At least, that's my understanding.
That got me thinking about J and the strange problems he's having with lunch. It's his first time eating lunch at school. He was so excited to take food from home in his Buzz Lightyear lunchbox, and helped me choose what things to pack. The first day wasn't so bad, but food kept coming home untouched. I've been trying to figure out what is going on, and asked him to tell me about it. He says that the food is "absolutely disgusting," even if it's exactly what he wanted, made to his exact specifications. I almost laughed (except I was trying very hard not to be angry with him for wasting all the food that I'd so meticulously made to his exacting standards) when J told me that "bacteria is affecting the taste." Affecting was a new and very grown-up word choice for a 6 year old, instead of saying "making it taste funny."
I asked for ideas on a mom's online forum, and they thought it had nothing to do with J's "giftedness." Ooh, it makes me so mad that so many of them put that in quotes! As if they've met my son and have decided that he's just a regular kid. One even pulled the "everyone evens out by third grade" garbage on me. I chewed them out after thanking them for their lunch ideas :)
Anyway, some of the moms thought it was a decent idea that his giftedness plays a role in his lunch problems. Gifted kids are talkative, and more words coming out of the mouth means less food going in the mouth. J is also notoriously slow at making decisions and at eating, so that contributes to running out of time to eat, I'm sure. And I wonder if he's trying so hard to behave and keep himself together all morning, so at lunch time, he's sort of "freaking out" about little things that bug him, just like my friend's daughter.
Lots of online moms suggested that I just need to pack less food. They completely ignored the part where I said that J is asking for more food, because he's starving all day.
It just goes to show that moms without gifted kids just don't know what its like to have gifted kids. Just like I don't know what it's like to have a physically disabled child or an autistic child. However, I did take some of their advice, and today, I packed apple slices, peanut butter, crackers, and iced juice. Fast to eat, fun to dip, and no treats so he'll have to eat the "main course." I also packed it in a paper bag, since one mom said that her daughter's insulated bag reportedly makes everything taste like plastic. Here's to hoping that he doesn't bring any food home uneaten!
I was talking with this friend about the problems her daughter had when she started first grade. Apparently, kindergarten was really great for her. It was fun and interesting, and her family got a much-needed break from the high-intensity tantrums and difficult behavior. But everything came back with a vengeance when first grade rolled around. That's one reason I've been worried about J starting first grade. And because it's not all coloring and learning songs and snack time. The learning takes up more time in the day, but it's all stuff that J already knows. That equals a much greater chance for boredom and misbehavior.
Anyway, one thing she learned from her daughter's psychologist is that her daughter is trying to be good and hold herself together all day long in school, so when she gets home, she falls apart. I think everyone can identify with that. She's dealing with stress that is much too "old" for her in ways that are age appropriate. She freaks out about textures. She's grumpy from dealing with stress and boredom all day, so little things annoy her, like how scratchy that fabric is. Most kids don't end up with these sorts of behaviors, even though they're age-appropriate, because they're not subjected to the same amount of stress. At least, that's my understanding.
That got me thinking about J and the strange problems he's having with lunch. It's his first time eating lunch at school. He was so excited to take food from home in his Buzz Lightyear lunchbox, and helped me choose what things to pack. The first day wasn't so bad, but food kept coming home untouched. I've been trying to figure out what is going on, and asked him to tell me about it. He says that the food is "absolutely disgusting," even if it's exactly what he wanted, made to his exact specifications. I almost laughed (except I was trying very hard not to be angry with him for wasting all the food that I'd so meticulously made to his exacting standards) when J told me that "bacteria is affecting the taste." Affecting was a new and very grown-up word choice for a 6 year old, instead of saying "making it taste funny."
I asked for ideas on a mom's online forum, and they thought it had nothing to do with J's "giftedness." Ooh, it makes me so mad that so many of them put that in quotes! As if they've met my son and have decided that he's just a regular kid. One even pulled the "everyone evens out by third grade" garbage on me. I chewed them out after thanking them for their lunch ideas :)
Anyway, some of the moms thought it was a decent idea that his giftedness plays a role in his lunch problems. Gifted kids are talkative, and more words coming out of the mouth means less food going in the mouth. J is also notoriously slow at making decisions and at eating, so that contributes to running out of time to eat, I'm sure. And I wonder if he's trying so hard to behave and keep himself together all morning, so at lunch time, he's sort of "freaking out" about little things that bug him, just like my friend's daughter.
Lots of online moms suggested that I just need to pack less food. They completely ignored the part where I said that J is asking for more food, because he's starving all day.
It just goes to show that moms without gifted kids just don't know what its like to have gifted kids. Just like I don't know what it's like to have a physically disabled child or an autistic child. However, I did take some of their advice, and today, I packed apple slices, peanut butter, crackers, and iced juice. Fast to eat, fun to dip, and no treats so he'll have to eat the "main course." I also packed it in a paper bag, since one mom said that her daughter's insulated bag reportedly makes everything taste like plastic. Here's to hoping that he doesn't bring any food home uneaten!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
A Day of Vocabulary Expansion
J (6.5) is having trouble with his lunch at school. He hasn't been eating it. Well, he does fine with the pudding and applesauce, but he says everything else is "absolutely disgusting." Even though I make it to order, with strawberry jam and white bread.
So today, he was telling me about what he thinks is happening to make his lunch so "disgusting." His explanation is that "bacteria have affected the taste."
Tonight, instead of going to sleep like he should, he called down to me that "the Latin name of watermelon is citrullus vulgaris."
That came out of nowhere, sort of! I know his first grade class has had lots of watermelon-themed activities lately, but do you really think the other kids remembered its Latin name? I'm sort of wondering why the teacher even mentioned it!
So today, he was telling me about what he thinks is happening to make his lunch so "disgusting." His explanation is that "bacteria have affected the taste."
Tonight, instead of going to sleep like he should, he called down to me that "the Latin name of watermelon is citrullus vulgaris."
That came out of nowhere, sort of! I know his first grade class has had lots of watermelon-themed activities lately, but do you really think the other kids remembered its Latin name? I'm sort of wondering why the teacher even mentioned it!
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