Wow, let me tell you how wonderful it is to have a kid who can read on a road trip!
We drove from Idaho to Arizona last week. It took us two days. Late the second day, after the sun had set, J grabbed his backpack full of library books and a dollar store clip-on book light. He read two Magic Treehouse books and half of Beezus & Ramona in just an hour and a half!
When we got to Grandma's house, I hid the library books he hadn't read yet. I checked out the maximum 15 books, and I think he only has 2 or 3 left for the return trip!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Ophelia
We're visiting Grandma right now. Having struggled with getting some of her children to read well, she was very anxious to hear J read. I have no idea what they were reading, but I think Grandma was having fun, giving J obscure words to see if he could read them. She was properly impressed when he encountered the word "Ophelia" and didn't skip a beat!
J's Aunt, also visiting, was impressed with his skill at reading out loud. He really is quite good at phrasing and inflection. I remember working on that with him twice, and as usual, he picked it up very easily.
I was pleasantly surprised to find J in the back row of the van with a book of silly songs, with 2 cousins and his brother packed in there with him, leading them in singing a song about a food fight. On this trip, J has really enjoyed his reading skills, and I think he got his younger cousin really excited about learning to read, too!
J's Aunt, also visiting, was impressed with his skill at reading out loud. He really is quite good at phrasing and inflection. I remember working on that with him twice, and as usual, he picked it up very easily.
I was pleasantly surprised to find J in the back row of the van with a book of silly songs, with 2 cousins and his brother packed in there with him, leading them in singing a song about a food fight. On this trip, J has really enjoyed his reading skills, and I think he got his younger cousin really excited about learning to read, too!
Monday, February 8, 2010
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.
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!
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!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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:
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.
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.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Gifted Academy
I love our pediatrician. He seems to be a very intelligent man himself, and has an amazing memory. He remembers lots of incidental things about us. Even if he just writes them down in our kids' file and reviews them before he comes in, that's still terrific!
A few weeks ago, he called me out of the blue at about 5:30 pm. He had heard of a charter school in Boise that is only for the highly gifted and called to give me the information.
Of course, I don't know if J would qualify, but I wonder what the testing process is like, and if it is free. And I worry about J changing schools. He seems so happy at his math & science magnet school. I don't know what the commute would be, but it really could only improve from the commute we have now (it's a 15 minute drive each way, and it's sort of in the middle of nowhere, so we can't combine trips. And it's the opposite direction of all our errands and stores.)
I guess it's something to look into, something I need to pursue.
A few weeks ago, he called me out of the blue at about 5:30 pm. He had heard of a charter school in Boise that is only for the highly gifted and called to give me the information.
Of course, I don't know if J would qualify, but I wonder what the testing process is like, and if it is free. And I worry about J changing schools. He seems so happy at his math & science magnet school. I don't know what the commute would be, but it really could only improve from the commute we have now (it's a 15 minute drive each way, and it's sort of in the middle of nowhere, so we can't combine trips. And it's the opposite direction of all our errands and stores.)
I guess it's something to look into, something I need to pursue.
Report Card
J got his second report card today. I realized that I never posted about his first report card, so I'll summarize them both in this post.
Of course, elementary school report cards, and especially those for kindergarten, are quite soft. There aren't A's, B's, and C's, but S's, I's, and N's. Jared got all S's for "Satisfactory Development." Again, there's no grade for anything exceptional. I love how they report tardiness, since at this age, I'm sure the blame is purely parental.
Then there's another section that uses numbers. 1 is not meeting standard, 2 means that the child is learning well, 3 means they know their stuff, and 4 means above-level ability. J got all 3's except for one 4 in "counting to 31."
I was surprised that he only got one 4. I mean, they're learning to count objects and make a tick on a paper to represent each object, and he's multiplying and dividing in his head. They're learning sight words like "a" and "like," while he's reading 4th and 5th grade level books. How can he possibly not be getting 4's?
The clue is in the descriptions of the tasks they're requiring of the children. They didn't evaluate him on addition and subtraction, just "number systems," whatever that means. They graded him on stating the days of the week in order, and using a calendar to say today's date. These are things that you can't really excel at. You can do them, or you can't. He is just not in an environment that would show his reading or math abilities.
I had to laugh at his one 4: "Rote count to 31 by ones." This is the kid who comes downstairs to complain that he can't sleep, even though he counted all the way to 200 and then got bored.
The most interesting part is the teacher's comments. First quarter, she wrote:
My husband and I both commented, "I didn't know he wasn't happy before!" I'm guessing J's just gotten into the groove and isn't nervous about things. He seems to feel more comfortable with his knowledge, which is great. I really wish I could be a fly on that wall to see how he's doing! I want him to be confident and happy, without the arrogance he can sometimes show.
Of course, elementary school report cards, and especially those for kindergarten, are quite soft. There aren't A's, B's, and C's, but S's, I's, and N's. Jared got all S's for "Satisfactory Development." Again, there's no grade for anything exceptional. I love how they report tardiness, since at this age, I'm sure the blame is purely parental.
Then there's another section that uses numbers. 1 is not meeting standard, 2 means that the child is learning well, 3 means they know their stuff, and 4 means above-level ability. J got all 3's except for one 4 in "counting to 31."
I was surprised that he only got one 4. I mean, they're learning to count objects and make a tick on a paper to represent each object, and he's multiplying and dividing in his head. They're learning sight words like "a" and "like," while he's reading 4th and 5th grade level books. How can he possibly not be getting 4's?
The clue is in the descriptions of the tasks they're requiring of the children. They didn't evaluate him on addition and subtraction, just "number systems," whatever that means. They graded him on stating the days of the week in order, and using a calendar to say today's date. These are things that you can't really excel at. You can do them, or you can't. He is just not in an environment that would show his reading or math abilities.
I had to laugh at his one 4: "Rote count to 31 by ones." This is the kid who comes downstairs to complain that he can't sleep, even though he counted all the way to 200 and then got bored.
The most interesting part is the teacher's comments. First quarter, she wrote:
"J is a very capable and intelligent young man. He excels in all areas. Keeping him challenged is a challenge for me. He is kind to others in the classroom."This quarter, she wrote:
"J seems happier in kindergarten now. He often shares his knowledge with the group, enriching our discussions. I am happy to be his teacher."
My husband and I both commented, "I didn't know he wasn't happy before!" I'm guessing J's just gotten into the groove and isn't nervous about things. He seems to feel more comfortable with his knowledge, which is great. I really wish I could be a fly on that wall to see how he's doing! I want him to be confident and happy, without the arrogance he can sometimes show.
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