tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63848677636304606552024-03-04T20:55:46.915-08:00The Gift that Keeps on GivingFollow me on this wonderful and sometimes rocky adventure of raising a gifted childUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-42829342988500365662013-01-09T19:08:00.000-08:002013-01-09T19:11:28.269-08:00Numbers RiddleIn the post before this one, I posted a homework word problem. This time, I am going to post a math "riddle" that my son did for extra credit.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I didn't work out the math. But he told me the answer.<br />
<br />
And I hope it's the right one or...awkward. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Go ahead, I'll wait while you try it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
________________________________________________________________</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">My tens digit is the 26<sup>th</sup>
prime minus 96, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">But if you’re incapable of that,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">It’s also the 3<sup>rd</sup> square
minus the 2<sup>nd</sup> square,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Says my epic CAT…. Brand calculator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">My thousands digit when multiplied
with my units,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Should equal an odd number, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Now subtract [400-(10-(300x3-895)-5+5),<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">And you’ll get it you humbler!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">My ten thousands digit is really quite
simple,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">So let me give you a break,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Take the 3<sup>rd</sup> prime and
square it, and minus twenty,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">And you’ll get the digit, break’s a
plenty!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Figuring out the one’s place,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Shall be no fun at all,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Sum the first 3 squares, add one,
subtract 16, and add 7! (Including 0)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">That’ll give you the answer quick!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Last but not least, my hundreds digit,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Not an easy one,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Take (400- the first 3 primes-386),<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">And you’ve got it done!!<span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-30650723170941230592012-08-26T16:04:00.003-07:002012-08-26T16:04:38.665-07:004th Grade Math? I wave my white flag.<br />
<br />
My son has these "problems of the week" due every Friday.<br />
<br />
This is his first one for the year. Can you solve it?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Bridge Problem</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Four people need to cross a bridge at night.<br />
<br />
The bridge is only strong enough to hold at most two people at once. <br />
<br />
Because it is night, a flashlight must be used for all crossings.<br />
<br />
It takes person A ten minutes to cross, person B five minutes, person C two minutes, and person D one minute.<br />
<br />
If two cross at the same time they must walk at the slower man's pace.<br />
<br />
How can you get everyone across in 17 minutes?<br />
<br />
Oh, and there's only one flashlight.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-61802744713868750022012-08-22T11:04:00.001-07:002012-08-22T11:04:18.264-07:00Full Steam Ahead<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last night I had Kindergarten orientation for my younger
son. It was hard not to reflect back on
my first time through this with B. I
remember looking around the room at the information on the walls. I had that sinking feeling of “he’s not going
to like this.” Not because he didn’t
like to learn. It was quite the
opposite. Based on the curriculum
presented, he had already surpassed the “required” knowledge needed for that
year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But this time was different.
T just turned 5 in June. There
were thoughts of holding him back a year.
There were discussions with teachers.
There were tough internal questions to ask. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
T was born on June 19<sup>th</sup>, 2007. He was 3 weeks early and weighed 5lbs 5
oz. He was like a little bird when he
was born. He didn’t “unfold” himself
until about his actual due date. Even at
<i>only</i> 3 weeks early, you could just tell, he wasn’t done cooking. He let
us know that he wasn’t done for the next
6 months with colic and a side of reflux.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, something changed.
He went mute. Hearing the colic
for the previous 6 months, I wasn’t sure if I should jump for joy, or if there
was something more to this silence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At his next well doctor visit, it was determined with the
developmental delays in conjunction with the regression in speech, he would be
evaluated for early intervention.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Without going into everything, because that’s like 5 posts
in itself, I still decided in the end not to hold him back from attending kindergarten
this year. Even though he’s only been in
school for 3 days, the decision weighs on my mind constantly. At orientation last night, just hearing about
the reading, writing, and journaling, my stomach sank again. This time for different reasons. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The main reasons people hold children back a year are: emotional, social, cognitive, or sports
related.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My son had attended 2 years of preschool and is very social
and has no issues separating from me. He is independent, friendly, social, and well
behaved. I’m not concerned with the sports reason. He is of average height and weight and is
much more coordinated than his older brother already. So the only reason left was his cognitive
abilities. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I already had a child who went into school knowing “everything”
he needed to. Let me tell you, that was
no treat either. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If I had based my decision on the educational component
alone, I would have held him back. Though,
he has no diagnosed learning disability as of right now, I know that this year (and
future years) of learning will be a challenge.
He will have to work harder than his brother ever had to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So should I have held him back and have him start next year with “less”
to learn or do I offer him everything to learn this year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I chose everything. I believe, school should be filled with exciting discovery and full of new
information.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope I gave him that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll still
debate it every day. That’s just what Mom’s do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
_________________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(Since I do have 2
kids, I will be writing anything education related to them here. My 2<sup>nd</sup> son is not gifted and this
new chapter into his learning years will be a huge curve ball for me. Luckily, I have some athletic ability myself.)
<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-34755802424255711052012-04-23T14:39:00.001-07:002012-04-23T15:49:20.158-07:00A guest post by the kid himself.I'm not gonna lie. My kid makes me laugh. Sometimes cry, but mostly laugh. <br />
<br />
They are ending the school year with an animal research project. If there's one thing you should know about my kid? Animals have been his "thing" since birth.<br />
<br />
At the age of 5 he declared that he would be a marine biologist. Around the same time we had taken a spring break trip to the St. Louis area. Naturally, having a kid so into animals, the zoo was high on the list of places to go. <br />
<br />
The day we went to the zoo, it was if we had our our tour guide. Our own 5 year old tour guide. It was really the first time I thought "Um. huh. This kid knows a lot about animals." <br />
<br />
At one point we were walking past this sculpture and I commented "That's an odd looking bug"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0H0YXF9Zfw4lJgfsnU5d8SlmEPEkau4pFkUpIqeoC1wVj0iKXknRvUQyK8_jd3jD0X6ZppokGUYi4oNahVLJagdk7MEvq-16-wbS4-CllY4Av4C6F1BLSzINLVIckbRr7usbbSgW6rnO/s1600/beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0H0YXF9Zfw4lJgfsnU5d8SlmEPEkau4pFkUpIqeoC1wVj0iKXknRvUQyK8_jd3jD0X6ZppokGUYi4oNahVLJagdk7MEvq-16-wbS4-CllY4Av4C6F1BLSzINLVIckbRr7usbbSgW6rnO/s320/beetle.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
My son then said matter of factly "Oh, that's a giant stag beetle also known as an elephant beetle.." <br />
<br />
He then may have said a few other facts about this bug but I didn't hear him because I was too busy picking up my jaw. <br />
<br />
It doesn't surprise me that this research project is perfect for him. It's what he does naturally on his own anyways. Unfortunately, all this natural knowledge has led him to this situation:<br />
<br />
( I asked him to write his story-below)<br />
<br />
Okay, so I have to do this research thing in school, and uh, well basically EVERY single thing I searched for on countless sites on the computer said something like this: No matches were found for your search, double check your spelling. Another example is “Animal unknown, search something else”, just to name a few.<br />
<br />
B’s logical list of animals he tried to search up on the sites he used<br />
1. My 1st try was the highfin lizardfish.<br />
2. Next was the lizardfish<br />
3. I did the dumbo octopus too.<br />
4. Then I did the bonefish (cool name, so I thought I would attempt it)<br />
5. I also tried the squat lobster<br />
6. The vent crab was next<br />
7. The tubeworm<br />
8. And last, the giant ostr(I don’t know whether the next letter is a u,o,a, or I, so I’ll take a guess) ocod.<br />
<br />
As I searched up these fish, I raised my hand. A teacher came over and said, “What do you need?”<br />
<br />
I said, “How do you spell this?”<br />
<br />
The teacher replied, “What the heck are you trying to spell there”, pointing to the giant ostr (The a,I,o, or u dilemma came up again)ocod.<br />
<br />
I said, THAT’S why I’m asking you!!!!!” <br />
<br />
She said, “why don’t search up something more common?”<br />
<br />
“Everything COMMON I know about!!!!” <br />
<br />
She said, “why don’t you search up something less exotic then??” <br />
<br />
“Everything LESS EXOTIC I know too much about so there’s no point of researching it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” <br />
<br />
“Well, you’re going to have to think of something.” And she walked away.<br />
<br />
In line, I talked about how I searched on 7,000,000,000 sites, and 0 animal-related links came up. The teacher then sent me to the school library (Okay, before you continue reading, start singing the movie JAWS theme song, and when you get to the final note, read the next part) to pick up an animal book of my interest. So I searched, and I found a manatee book. Hopefully I’ll find a better subject. Hopefully.<br />
____________________________<br />
<br />
I have to admit. My favorite part about his story is him sticking up for himself and not giving into just researching any old thing. <br />
<br />
I volunteered to go into the class to help kids research on Thursday. I have a feeling I know who I'll be helping.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-6733221007989773042012-04-09T08:27:00.000-07:002012-04-09T08:27:58.813-07:00Time to TestThis week my son will have standardized testing that will put him on a path for the rest of his elementary years. <br />
<br />
I've known about this testing since he was 5.<br />
<br />
In the fall he had his first standardized test ever. This test was called the Cogat. Our district uses this test in the fall to (mostly) determine those kids who would benefit from honors math in the 3rd grade. <br />
<br />
Honestly? I sort of laughed at it. I know that my son tends to test well. I also know he doesn't have any real issues picking up math concepts. I was concerned about the work that he had been bringing home. It certainly did not indicate honors math for his future. <br />
<br />
He's not the type of smart kid who gets 100% on everything. He is not a perfectionist. He is not grade motivated. Actually, it's not uncommon for him to say "You know it doesn't matter if I get an F on this right?"<br />
<br />
Huh. That attitude is fun to parent. <br />
<br />
It's not that he doesn't totally care. He picks and chooses beforehand if it is important to him or not. If it's not? Forget it. <br />
<br />
But he did test well. He then passed the next two levels of testing to get into honors math. It's been a good fit for him. That is not to say it's been easy. It has not. Dudes, 3rd grade honors math? Hard. <br />
<br />
"Are you smarter than your 3rd grade honors math student?"<br />
<br />
Barely.<br />
<br />
So that brings us to this weeks standardized testing. Two different tests including the Cogat (again) and the ITBS. I have no idea what the 2nd test is all about. <br />
<br />
Since he's already in honors math, this round of testing will determine honors English that starts in 4th grade. <br />
(It also determines if he gets into the districts “official” gifted program but I’m not even thinking about that because I think his odds are slim.)<br />
<br />
This should be a no brainer for him. Even more so than the math, but here's the deal. For whatever reason he tends to test worse for English related testing than math. And it's maddening. <br />
<br />
Here, a kid who taught himself to read by the age of 3 tests lower in English. <br />
<br />
Makes no sense, I tell you.<br />
<br />
I'm not trying to be like "Oh, my kid is so smart and should test well in everything” I’m not. But if you were to know my kid, you would know that his communication skills and vocabulary are years beyond his age. <br />
<br />
I'm saying that he should test higher in English than Math. But he doesn't.<br />
<br />
I think with math, he actually is forced to slow down and think. With the English stuff, he just plows right through it as quick as he can and doesn't really absorb the content. I'm just guessing. I know he likes to brag to me how quick he finishes testing. So there's that. <br />
<br />
I guess we'll see what happens. I don't place any pressure on him. I do let him know that the testing will determine if he gets into other programs like honors math but that they don't matter as far as anything else. Which is mostly true. <br />
<br />
In the meantime, I'll be over here eating Easter Kit Kats.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-62049641147750226312012-02-02T12:11:00.000-08:002012-02-02T12:11:31.060-08:00Seeing the LightTo say that my sons first 3 years of school were painful for us is a bit of an understatement. If he had wanted to be homeschooled, I would have pulled him out faster than rice crispies out of the pot after the marshmallows have melted. But he didn’t. He enjoyed gym so much that he powered on being “tortured” with the daily curriculum.<br />
<br />
You may ask, “Well why didn’t you do something about it if it was so bad for your kid.”<br />
<br />
Two words: We tried. Every year. Every parent conference. Every meeting we requested. <br />
<br />
If there’s one thing school personnel does not like to be told it’s that your child dislikes school. Of course he used the word “hates” when describing it with a few others:<br />
<br />
Waste of my time<br />
Boring<br />
Same stuff over and over<br />
<br />
And the question that got me every time:<br />
“When am I going to learn?”<br />
Ouch.<br />
<br />
I’m not talking about a 10 year old either. He started saying these things at the age of 4 in preschool.<br />
<br />
These same sentiments continued until this year. He’s 8. <br />
<br />
It had been clear to me from the beginning that the curriculum track that my district was on was not going to work for him. <br />
<br />
During one of the meetings we had with a handful of people last year, I always ask the same sort of question. <br />
<br />
“How can we better utilize the curriculum for him? How can it be stretched and how far? How much is the school willing to do for bright kids?”<br />
<br />
Surely, I am NOT the only parent with a child in this position. I am not in belief that my child is some sort of prodigy. He is bright. Really bright. He’s not the brightest they have dealt with, I’m sure. <br />
<br />
So there must be something. Right?<br />
<br />
At one meeting we were basically told that their hands were tied with the curriculum and they were trying to sell us on it being sufficient. <br />
<br />
You know what? I don’t do well with trying to be blinded with sheep skin.<br />
I responded with<br />
<br />
“Listen, this district’s curriculum is NOT the best in the area, or this state, or the country, so stop trying to tell me that it is”<br />
<br />
Their response?<br />
<br />
“It’s what we have to work with”<br />
<br />
And that is true.<br />
<br />
Let’s fast forward to this year shall we?<br />
<br />
Keep in mind, that meeting above happened in May of last year.<br />
<br />
Not even six months later it comes on my radar about the new national<a href="http://www.corestandards.org/"> Common Core Curriculum</a> standards.<br />
<br />
If you’re not familiar with it, and you child attends public schools, get informed.<br />
What does that mean for our district?<br />
<br />
It means that our Superintendent has said publically that OUR OWN curriculum is estimated to be about A YEAR behind the new standards.<br />
<br />
A year people.<br />
<br />
Think of that really bright student sitting in class who may be 2 years ahead in curriculum trying to learn with a curriculum that is one year behind. Any enrichment he was receiving was only bringing him up to the new standards. <br />
<br />
And this is where I start to get really pissed off people. I’m not going to lie.<br />
<br />
I was told by my own principal that I shouldn’t really be concerned that my kid hates school and I should take those thoughts with “a grain of salt”<br />
<br />
You know what she should have said?<br />
<br />
“I’m sorry. I know that these past few years have probably been rough for your child. The good news is that our curriculum is getting an overhaul and that should help. You are right to be concerned with your child’s feelings toward school. Those feelings need to be dealt with because your son has many years of education ahead of him. “<br />
<br />
Why didn’t they just fess up and know that they were dealing with something substandard?<br />
<br />
The new curriculum is set to be in place in year 14-15. <br />
<br />
I’ll be waiting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-11091021684579217582012-01-12T18:28:00.000-08:002012-01-12T18:28:31.110-08:00Sarcasm runs in the family.I just never want to forget this because it makes me smile:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEN4qhxy4Y_fbSbDeh1Wu4-evRyg253TqjdJip9Y15Xe3ztAZ0VOrJQXYQ1HFemqQrhRGakhm4QiL2NEcY90h_EQ5nZT4o64JGuuedha7VEkofU8RMyC0TitpREIGGkAXBwLOzTM8gkeb/s1600/Sarcastic+comment.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="250" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEN4qhxy4Y_fbSbDeh1Wu4-evRyg253TqjdJip9Y15Xe3ztAZ0VOrJQXYQ1HFemqQrhRGakhm4QiL2NEcY90h_EQ5nZT4o64JGuuedha7VEkofU8RMyC0TitpREIGGkAXBwLOzTM8gkeb/s320/Sarcastic+comment.png" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-42620223033168560082011-09-09T17:27:00.000-07:002011-09-09T17:27:31.061-07:00The Post I didn’t know I was going to WriteI had not planned on writing about 9/11. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. <br />
<br />
And yes, it was sleeping. Hey, I worked nights back then. <br />
<br />
That day is the day that changed my desire to have children. Before then, it was sort of a thought but not a complete one. After, I knew that I wanted to live my life with children in it. <br />
<br />
Fast forward to this first child who is now in 3rd grade. He’s 8 so obviously it didn't happen RIGHT after that event. I was big on planning back then. Silly really. Some things you just can’t plan for. <br />
<br />
Like when your son comes out of school and says “Hey, I didn’t know planes crashed into buildings and people died”<br />
<br />
Um…….ok then.<br />
<br />
Up until this point my son didn’t know of that day. It’s not that I didn’t think he would know at some point, I just didn’t know this day was going to be <b>that</b> day.<br />
<br />
During class a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJM_mg2wJeA">video</a> was shown and though it was done respectfully and tastefully, it opened the door to an event that he had previously not known about. It had opened his mind to thoughts that he did not have before. It opened his mouth and out came questions that had not been asked before.<br />
<i><br />
“Are they going to rebuild the buildings?”<br />
“I bet at least half those children died”<br />
“Is there video of the planes crashing?” <br />
“Why did the planes crash into the buildings in the first place?”</i><br />
<br />
I did my best to explain using the truth that was covered in a thin blanket of carefully chosen words. I wanted the words that I used to answer his questions but not add further fear or contaminate his view on this world. <br />
<br />
Not yet at least. At 8 years old I feel that it is ok for him to know that bad things do happen and that people who make bad choices exist. I know that this event was beyond bad. This was evil. I’m not ready to introduce words describing humans as evil or terrorists. I don’t know when I will be. <br />
<br />
This is an event that will live within my thoughts and heart forever. It will trigger emotions for every stage left in my life. One of those stages I’ll be ready to tell him about how I experienced that day. <br />
<br />
Just not yet. <br />
___<br />
<br />
What age did you start talking about this event with your kids and what did you say?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-90106127752381724892011-08-01T14:56:00.000-07:002011-08-01T14:56:44.057-07:00To Enrich or NotGo to our local library on any day of the week and you will find table upon table filled with the following:<br />
<br />
A student and a teacher. <br />
<br />
Tutoring. <br />
<br />
Some of these children are getting the much needed help they need to catch up. Maybe even some of them are just maintaining the knowledge that they learned through the school year. But there is also something else going on at those tables.<br />
<br />
It’s called enrichment and it probably accounts for about 50% of those tables. These children are getting additional work to push them ahead. They are most likely working on school based curriculum. <br />
<br />
Every time I see this I think to myself:<br />
<i><br />
“Maybe this is something we should be doing”<br />
“Am I making the right choice by not doing enrichment?”<br />
“These children are my child’s competition into school programs”</i><br />
<br />
And each time I struggle with each of these thoughts. <br />
<br />
And if it’s not at the library, it’s all around me. For the past two years I have organized the local “summer enrichment fair.” This fair attracts local companies offering their summer programs. Let me tell you that we have PLENTY around me. There are upwards of 50 that decide to attend our fair with many others that don’t. Not all of them are curriculum based, but many of them are. This fair attracts many families looking to further their kid’s education during the summer months. <br />
<br />
For the past few years we have chosen the programs that are topic learning. In other words, my son has not taken a specific math or reading course. He has taken topics such as “ocean life, stand-up comedy, discovering earth science” and while there might have been some reading or math mixed in; it was not the primary focus and surely did not advance him in these areas by any means. <br />
<br />
The question is how can my child “compete” against the enrichment summer kids when it comes to testing. I’m pretty sure that the official testing is not going to ask to name the top 10 deadliest fish. Because if it did? My son would clean up. <br />
<br />
The summer is almost over. I’m not really looking for summer enrichment at this point. My son read over the summer but besides that? Not much else. I’m ok with that I really am. I think.<br />
<br />
Third grade starts “official” testing for children to get into programs in school designed for the different levels of learning needs and I’m feeling the pressure.<br />
<br />
Just today I stopped by a center that does math and reading enrichment. I picked up a packet. After last year, I know that the school is not really in the position to give my son the type of challenge or depth that he desires to have at school. <br />
<br />
Am I ready to take some of this into my own hands? His ability to learn is impressive, his pace quick. What position am I going to put him in when he advances quickly out of school and yet has to sit in school and their pace? Am I just going to further and confirm his belief that school is boring?<br />
<br />
Why can’t someone just answer these things for me?!<br />
<br />
Oh, right. I’m the parent. <br />
So that’s where I am. <br />
<br />
I’d love to hear any views or opinions from parents who have made this decision and how it worked out for them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-52461037596033364062011-05-27T07:42:00.000-07:002011-05-27T07:42:53.008-07:00Learning to Hate MathMy son was always attracted to numbers. It wasn’t his passion or obsession but he really liked playing with numbers.<br />
<br />
I once had to have him assessed to take courses through a local program for gifted children. He had just turned 5 and had to take the hour long test by himself with the test administrator. I had no idea what to expect that day when she was going over the results with me.<br />
<br />
It turns out that what I thought was his extraordinary ability with language and vocabulary (97%) was actually overshadowed by his number manipulation ability (99.5%). Who knew? No, really, I had no idea that the results would show that.<br />
<br />
We never really did anything special to hone this or develop it so I decided to start introducing more math/number play to see how he would like it.<br />
<br />
He did. In typical B style the more I did with him the more he started craving it. Wanting it. Asking for it. <br />
<br />
I always tried to make it seem like we were playing with numbers. <br />
<br />
The word math often sounds negative coming from adults and I didn’t want to put my feelings about the subject onto him so I knew I had to make it fun for the both of us. <br />
<br />
Let’s be honest, I had to make it fun for me. He was already having fun. <br />
<br />
We would play games like: tic-tac-toe numbers, math path, glow math, write on windows with wipe off markers.<br />
<br />
By the time he was 6 he could easily do addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. I had also introduced fractions.<br />
<br />
Enter my little rant on math:<br />
<br />
It is my opinion that teaching these concepts all at once makes the most sense. They are all just groups of numbers. <br />
<br />
The way it’s divided in school drives me nuts. <br />
<br />
Addition first then Subtraction then Multiplication then Division and finally Fractions<br />
<br />
If a child can subtract 5 from 10 then they can multiply.<br />
<br />
“How many groups of 5 does it take to make 10?”<br />
<br />
If they can do that then saying <br />
<br />
“How many groups of 5 can fit into 10?”<br />
<br />
I used the word “groups.” Introducing the terms multiplication and division are unnecessary. It’s the concepts that matter.<br />
<br />
Enough about that.<br />
<br />
So why does my son hate math now? Even mentioning doing math makes him groan.<br />
<br />
What happened?<br />
<br />
School. School is what happened.<br />
<br />
School has worksheeted the math out of my kid.<br />
<br />
Recent conversation:<br />
<br />
“B why don’t you like math?”<br />
<br />
“Because it’s sooooo boring?”<br />
<br />
“But you used to like math a lot and had fun doing it”<br />
<br />
“Oh, that’s only because you used to try and make it interesting.”<br />
<br />
And there you go. <br />
<br />
(We had a follow up meeting that addressed some of the concerns from my last post on here, I’m still digesting it but will be writing about it. I have to. My head in bulging)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-71794719821717669412011-04-08T07:50:00.001-07:002011-04-08T08:02:35.780-07:00CommunicationHow often do you ask your kids "How was school?" <br /><br />How often do they answer "fine or good?"<br /><br />What if they answered "The same, boring and I hate it."<br /><br />What do you do?<br /><br />Maybe you follow up with "What do you hate about school"<br /><br />The answer is "Everything except gym, lunch, and recess"<br /><br />So then you say "Well, if you could change something about school, what would it be"<br /><br />They might say "I don't even know where to start, the whole thing is terrible"<br /><br />This happens. To me. Almost everyday. <br /><br />It breaks my heart. <br /><br />Since the age of 3 when he started preschool, I can count on one hand how many days my child has enjoyed being at school. I mean, really excited, coming out of school and wanting to tell me about a project, or a topic. <br /><br />Mostly, he comes out of school flat. <br /><br />My kid? Is not a flat kid. <br /><br />So you sit there and ask more specific questions to try and find out exactly is going on. <br /><br />I think a big part of his frustration is the amount of idle time he has at school. <br /><br />So now you have this information, how do you communicate it to the teacher? How do you work together to try and get your child to enjoy it? <br /><br />Is it even possible? <br /><br />The following is a letter that I wrote this morning. I publish this for other parents who might be in this position. <br /><br />Wish me luck. (Note all names have been changed)<br /><br />________________________________________________________<br /><br />Mary,<br /><br />I was talking to Brian about school and have a few concerns. He mentions that a big frustration for him is that he finishes his work so quickly that he feels like he reads a book “for two hours a day.”<br /><br />Though I’m sure he is not reading for that long, his perception is so. <br /><br />He is also currently in a book rut. I need someone’s help finding a series of books that he might enjoy. He reads very quickly and when we do find a book he likes, he generally reads the whole book in one day.<br /><br />He claims that he’s read his current book at school five times. Obviously, this is not desirable. <br /><br />There must be someone who can help him in the library find something for him. I have tried numerous times at the Smithville library system but they are unwilling to help me find books that are not “grade level” for him. <br /><br />This has been a frustration of mine as well. How, as parents, are we to find the resources to help our reading hungry children? <br /><br />I understand that maybe Brian is “picky” about his reading, but this should be met with a challenge. You have to remember that he started independently reading at a very young age and has read hundreds of books. It’s not a surprise to me that he has a good sense of what he likes and what he doesn’t. <br /><br />I also have a concern about the amount of reading he is doing at school. Is this reading part of a curriculum directive? He said that once he is done with his work, he is instructed to read until others are done. I think this is ok in theory, but if you have a child that finishes consistently early with work, this child would be reading for a greater overall percent of the school year. <br /><br />He would much rather have more work to do than reading casually. He reads about an hour at home everyday on his own as it is. <br /><br />So, I guess I want to know, how much reading IS he doing on any given day or week?<br /><br />On a final note, I attended the assessment presentation last night given by Dawn Morris. He mentioned that there are 10 different reading assessments given at the elementary level. <br /><br />I am interested in seeing how Brian’s assessment scores were for the fall versus the spring. <br /><br />If this needs to be done in a meeting, I am willing to do so.<br /><br />Together, I hope we can create an environment in school for Brian that not only fulfills him, but inspires him.<br /><br />Thank you,<br />MeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-33053844098218153082011-01-26T13:04:00.000-08:002011-01-26T13:07:53.562-08:00How to do nothing and impress your teacherSo my son does his reading in a group that will sometimes get pulled from their regular classroom. This group often goes to the library for their lesson.<br /><br />Today they were reading a book “How to be a perfect person in just 3 days.” <br /><br />For part of the book the character has to do nothing for 24 hours.<br /><br />To recreate this for their group the teacher had them do nothing for 5 min.<br /><br />After the 5 min the teacher asked them to fill out a form on what they heard, saw and thought about during that time<br /><br />B said:<br /><br />He thought about pie<br /><br />He heard the library teacher<br /><br />He noticed that the big grey things behind Bilal made him look like an elephant.<br /><br />The teacher said that “it was impossible to believe that B could do nothing for a full hour”<br /><br />To which he responded:<br /><br />“When I was sitting on the couch doing nothing for an hour once, and my mom told me to go to my room or the basement because she couldn’t stand looking at me being pathetic doing nothing.” <br /><br /><br />Awesome.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-73643640372474468042010-12-23T20:48:00.000-08:002010-12-23T21:15:01.203-08:00Happy Holidays From BWhen B has to write to his teachers, I always ask first what he is going to write. I learned this once after he started a letter "Even though you already taught me things I already know..."<br /><br />So yeah.<br /><br />This time it was a Christmas card for his teacher. <br /><br />He told me that he was "going to write about joy"<br /><br />Sounds good right?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI50RQCTfJIEjhl3VFymXytyL_lR2da0pkXK0nOQfE4OZjhN_u0ZGvFNFmTksp8QqYEgclT-sB3BJQeK0lbO4owQeDQWi3ONwMPxz7pFoBxH9FccSe209k9JJjpomCFJAT0WmsptdZ48s1/s1600/card+001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI50RQCTfJIEjhl3VFymXytyL_lR2da0pkXK0nOQfE4OZjhN_u0ZGvFNFmTksp8QqYEgclT-sB3BJQeK0lbO4owQeDQWi3ONwMPxz7pFoBxH9FccSe209k9JJjpomCFJAT0WmsptdZ48s1/s320/card+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554112755351952626" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-6594627194051879622010-10-21T06:53:00.000-07:002010-10-21T07:02:26.751-07:00He's got it all figured out, for now.One morning B mentioned how many facebook people "liked" a computer game he was playing. This was the first time I encountered him even being able to get into something facebook related. He's only 7 so obviously I don't want him to get involved. I don't think I have to worry quite yet.<br /><br />B "Hey there's 33,452 people who like this game on facebook"<br /><br />Me "I don't ever want you clicking anything that has facebook on it"<br /><br />B "I wouldn't do that"<br /><br />Me "Ok, good because you're too young"<br /><br />B "Why would I want to talk to a bunch of people I don't know from around the world?"<br /><br />Me "Well facebook is used a lot for people you do know, Twitter is more for people you don't"<br /><br />Keep in mind that I am fashionably eating Count Chocula at my computer, in my pajamas, while we are discussing this. In other words, ubber hotness.<br /><br />B "Well I wouldn't do it anyways because it's all full of a bunch of freaks"<br /><br />Count Chocula was kept from hitting the computer screen. But barely.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-29085820003186538872010-09-12T06:57:00.000-07:002010-09-12T20:46:52.304-07:00His Love for Letters and BooksI have yet to talk about how I suspected that B had unique mental ability. There were definitely things that made me stop and think. It’s hard to look back at his early years and know whether the excitement was because child development is so awe inspiring or if some of these early developments held clues to his future brightness. <br /><br />There’s nothing like development charts to make parents crazy, hopeful and even scared. Did my son reach all his developments on time? This is a two part question. There were the mental developments and those he generally exceeded by weeks if not months and at some point years. The other part of those charts are physical. For the first year he did meet these “expectations” fairly early. Rolling at 11 weeks, crawling at 6 months, walking at 10 months. I’m sure that other children have done these things at same time or earlier so I can’t say whether or not these held any clues. It was mostly the mental developments that just blew me away.<br /><br />Ever have a moment in time when you witness something and have a predictive thought that felt so real that you had a hard time believing your own head? I had one of those with B. He was 10 months old at it was around x-mas. He had just received a bunch of gifts. We were all in the living room and I glanced over. He had the pick of what he wanted to play with but he chose a book. He then sat down and opened the book. Then, he turned it around because it was upside down. He continued to carefully “read” that book for the next 10 minutes page by page. Once he was at the end he would start over and carefully “read” and pause on each page and then continue flipping each page again. At some point I started taking video because I was shocked that my HIGH energy child had the ability to just sit and do anything for 10 minutes. At the same time I had this thought in my head that said “His thing is books.” <br /><br />We read to him just like most parents do at night. I’m sure it’s pretty normal for kids to ask “just one more book” and he was already getting 3 or 4 a night so we had to limit that insistent need he had for more. We also provided the same educational toys like many parents have. We had the alphabet puzzles, books, blocks, and bath foam letters. He always wanted to play with the alphabet toys over any others. Is this normal? I don’t know but he could recognize all the letters by 22 months. He loved the alphabet so much that his 2ND birthday party was alphabet themed. The guests were amazed as he walked around saying what all the letters were that were used as decorations. At some point he turned these letters into words.<br /><br />B loved to take baths. Just loved them. I admit that I was often bored giving him his almost daily 30 minute baths so I HAD to do something so I wouldn’t fall asleep. We had more bath toys than room in the bathroom to keep them. His favorite ones were the bath crayons and foam letters. He would hand me a crayon and say “draw a blue M” and I would. Over, and over. At some point he started asking me to spell words. (He said over 50 words at 18months, not sure if that’s a lot but it’s a point of reference here) So I did because frankly I had nothing else to do and if I didn’t he would throw a fit and that’s not fun for anyone. Then at some point he started to take the foam letters and spell words himself. This was between 2 and before 2.5. <br /><br /> It started off easy enough like cat, dog, and other three letter words. But it didn’t stop there. I noticed that he would then start spelling longer words: bunny, mommy, train. It got to the point where I had to get another set of foam letters so he could have more than one of each letter to spell with. This went on for a few months and each time I was amazed but thought, that it seemed like a natural progression from learning letters so what else would he do next? Until it dawned on me. <br /><br />Wait, he’s SPELLING WORDS and not always ones that I have spelled first? How is this possible? Sure you can chalk some up to Dora and Diego but these words were not all themed like that. And if he’s spelling words does that mean he can read them?! Of course, I dismissed this thought but yet it nagged at me. I decided to write down some words on a piece of paper and have him try to read them to me. I picked words that he had spelled and (I guess) of course he could read them to me. I then went out to get a few early reading books. He could not read every word but he could read most of it. How on earth?! You want to freak people out? Have your not yet three year old at the grocery store with you while he’s reading all the labels and signs he can. He was almost obsessed with learning new words. <br /><br />A neighbor of mine had older sons and was getting rid of stuff they had outgrown. In that stuff were reading flashcards. On a whim, I took them out and showed B. He was hooked. He was so hooked that I would have to limit the amount of cards I would do at one time. I did’t want it to seem like I’m forcing my not yet 3 yr old to read because trust me I wasn’t. This kid was on a mission. He would have found the information that he wanted to feed his brain. I would say we were doing 5 cards and he would insist on doing 10. This pace of learning did not slow down and he was soon to be in preschool.<br /><br />He continued to read and we continued to read to him. His ability to soak up information was amazing. During his 2ND year of preschool he had already been reading for a year so we asked the school to test his reading level. We were mostly interested in making sure we were picking appropriate books because he seemed to go through each step quickly. The teacher resisted (who could blame her.) but eventually did. She let us know that he read at almost a 2ND grade level. Did I say he was 4? <br /><br />--------------------------------------------<br /><br />**I’d love to post video’s we have of him doing some of this amazing stuff but I can’t make it feel right in my head. <br /><br />**The flashcards referenced in this post are: <a href="http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/Toys-games/Easy-Sight-Words-Set-1/e/9780867344035">Easy Site Words. Sets 1 and 2 by Frank Schaffer Publications</a><br /><br />**I should also add that B never sounded out words. He just never did. He would just say them. I didn't know until later when other children were learning to read that children tend to sound out words to read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-5489935516351120802010-08-27T08:15:00.001-07:002010-08-27T10:11:21.276-07:00Not So Great StartI have wanted to write about B's journey so far in school and though I started it I have not finished it. This is not surprising to me. Instead of that right now, I want to write about what happened yesterday on my sons 2nd day of school because it just makes me crazy to the core.<br /><br />Yesterday was my son's 2nd day of 2nd grade. I have been told by many that his teacher is the best teacher in the school. I trust people are not lying to me. Also? She called me the day before school to discuss how she was familiar with Braden's plan that was put forth last year (upcoming post). She went on to describe many things that sounded perfect for him. She used many gifted tag words that I have not heard any other teacher say. I am confident that he will have a good year with her. Again, I will say that I believe this WILL be a good year, but when that part starts is anyone's guess.<br /><br />I pick B up from school and ask the usual "how did it go today?" and he replied "fine, except for one thing that I don't want to talk about." We were at the playground so I dropped it. I asked again once we were in the car. Again, he didn't want to talk about it and then changed his mind to saying that he was just joking and that it was a fine day. I knew he was hiding something.<br /><br />Again before bed I asked again, and he insisted that there was nothing and he was joking.<br /><br />This morning he decided to talk about it. He said that when it was reading time the teacher told the kids to go pick a book from their classroom library and that everyone was supposed to pick a blue label book. Braden said that all the blue label books were beginning books and were too easy so he asked if he could have a different book that he saw. Then he said to me "she flat out said no.” I'm not sure how this came about but she said "reading harder books won't make you a better reader, reading easier books will." and then my son said to me "And you this summer told me that I should read books that are harder and now my teacher says easier books so now I don't know who's right cause you’re my mom and she’s my teacher." <br /><br />To give some background, over the summer B had fallen into a pattern of only getting comic books from the library. At some point I had suggested to him that he really needed to read a mix of both comic books and regular reading books to keep up his reading skills. <br /><br />Oh, and he was NOT happy about only being able to chose the blue label books. I can't blame him. Why is this teacher (who knows his reading level) making all kids take the same level book? Is this going to inspire my son to read? Trust me it's not. He could not have been less interested in those books. Isn't that sort of anti-reading? I mean I understand if this was part of some assignment or for a project, but as I understand this was FREE reading time. Why not let a kid pick a book that they WANT to read? Isn't the point? Getting the kids to WANT to read? <br /><br />I'm not sure that they have a "get kids to hate reading" program but if they do my kid must be first on that list.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-46878646544520891192010-06-14T20:01:00.000-07:002010-06-14T20:44:33.833-07:00Beaver or Tadpole?Something about having a first child that is gifted sort of distorts your view of children. It's not that you don't realize that they might be different, but people in general are different. Not until you have another child do some of the differences come and smack you upside your head. When we had a second child I did not think that they would be exact but I definitely did not consider that they would learn and perceive so dramatically different. Here's a little story:<br /><br />B started taking chess class that is an hour long. During this hour I decided to take his brother T to the park. We walked along the sidewalk that also follows along a river. At some point I see a beaver in the water. <br /><br />I said to T "Hey, look at the beaver in the water." and pointed at it. <br /><br />He stopped looked at it and then said "Wow, look at that tadpole."<br /><br />"No honey, it's a beaver"<br /><br />"That tadpole is huge."<br /><br />"T, it's a beaver, can you say beaver?"<br /><br />"Tadpole is splashing his tail."<br /><br />"T, it's a beaver, come on."<br /><br />--------------------------------------<br />If this was B at this age it would have been more like this:<br /><br />"Mommy, do you see the beaver in the water?"<br /><br />"Yes, I do"<br /><br />"Do you think it's looking for wood to build a house?"<br /><br />"Maybe"<br /><br />"It's looking for just the right wood to use."<br /><br />"Could be"<br /><br />"I think beavers eat plants too so maybe it's hungry."<br /><br />"Are you sure it eats plants?"<br /><br />"Yes, I'm pretty sure, also beavers are good swimmers and use their tails for steering."<br /><br />"Oh, that's interesting."<br />______________________________________<br /><br />So you can see that by having the first child being gifted did not prepare me for the seconds way of thinking. It's almost impossible to not look back at what B was doing at this age and NOW I think "Are you kidding me?" When you are IN the situation it's eye opening, but not mind blowing. <br /><br /><br />On our way back from the park T stopped where the river was close again and then said "Look at the flamingos."<br /><br />"Flamingos? T those are geese"<br /><br />We continue walking and then he asked "Where's the raccoon?"<br /><br />"Racoon?! Do you mean Beaver?"<br /><br />"Yeah."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-33633932655916847922010-04-30T18:44:00.000-07:002010-08-27T10:20:26.585-07:00In Third Grade all Kids Go to PrincetonThis post will be somewhat different. This post will be ranty. Ranty (word? no?) and possibly disorganized. If you follow me on Twitter then this will not be new to you. OK then.<br /><br />I am on the board of a local parent group that advocates for gifted education in our town. This has allowed me to gain a mountain full of information. It also allows me to be privy to knowledge before it is released to the public. Our district recently made some changes to gifted programs offered and our group was able to meet and hear about it first. We met with two higher up district education employees and were impressed with the changes that were being made. Towards the end of the meeting we started some small talk and she said something that made me want to leap out of my skin. She suggested that since we were in an affluent area that most of the children come into the system enriched already and that by third grade most children even out. E-v-e-n O-u-t.<br />Pause. Breath. OK. This concept or theory is not new to me and I have read this in different forms. I just couldn't believe that this woman who is pretty high up in our district buys into this way of thinking and is sharing it with a group of people who actually have gifted children.<br /><br />I understand that children in this area are fortunate to have certain opportunities that will become part of who they are. I also understand that many can afford the many educational opportunities available as well. I can’t speak for the others but my child is not being drilled at home with workbooks or worksheets. We don’t do flashcards or number drills. He’s does not attend regular enrichment classes focused on school topics. Actually, I haven’t done anything with him this whole year and he still manages to be a top student surpassing others by years in reading and math. NATURALLY. Yes, naturally. I understand that some students are getting all these extra “pushes” or “help” but mine is not and to tell me that he is going to “even out” in third grade is just nutella nuts to me. I understand that some of the kids who were possibly struggling early on at this point may catch up to an acceptable level but to suggest that those who were higher to begin will slow down is well, like I said, nutella. Even if in the next few years he stays stagnant, he’ll still be two reading grades above. <br /><br />This is not only my districts or even my states way of thinking about gifted children. As a country we tend not to recognize gifted children and offer them services until 3rd grade. This is mostly based on this “even out” theory. By not challenging our students at a younger age they start to tune out and by third grade some of these previous outstanding students lose interest and start to underachieve. So how about challenging my child until then? Why not demand more of his brain to counter this risk of him becoming an underachiever. How about educating teachers to proactively identify gifted children earlier. Also, give them the tools and freedom to do what they need to teach high achieving children. Demand the teachers not to let students who were at the top to drift to the middle. You can read a much better description of this “even out” theory <a href="http://giftedkids.about.com/od/schoolissues/i/even_out.htm">Here</a>.<br /><br /> Maybe I’m out of touch with this reality. Maybe this does happen but if my child becomes an underachiever in third grade, I might just go nutella on someone at that school.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-36111547833911783302010-04-16T14:02:00.000-07:002010-05-31T09:37:45.885-07:00Cheating?If you're interested in reading a non-gifted guest post that I did you can find it here: <a href="http://www.mom-in-a-million.com/2010/04/guest-blogger-thenextmartha/">mom-in-a-million.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-37104866387267393982010-03-30T20:00:00.000-07:002010-03-30T20:15:37.819-07:00So you’ve got a gifted kid- now pick a schoolI’m going to take a leap and guess that most parents of gifted children feel the need to get them into a program sooner than later. At three, I welcomed the break of constantly feeding him information and started hunting for a pre-school. Do you know how many pre-school programs there are? It’s pretty much an overwhelming chore to sort through the many types. You can choose from: a structured curriculum, focus on the arts, Montessori, free range, you name it, it's out there. It was safe to say that B had down the skills needed to test out of pre-school, if there was such a thing. There were other needs to consider. At the time he was an only child and had some social issues. I was also sure that he had ADHD because the boy couldn’t even sit to eat a hot dog. We decided on a more structured program with services available, if needed. Our local school district met our needs and he enjoyed two years there. <br /> <br />Let me share with you some of the things I have learned about choosing a school for your gifted child. <br /><br />1) Don’t bother looking at the curriculum. Your head might explode. Depending on how gifted your child is, chances are they completed the “basics” in the curriculum 1-2 years prior. Instead focus on special units they will explore. Most programs will have special units on nature, science, or arts. <br /><br />2) Don’t assume that your child will NOT learn even if they are going over the alphabet. Find out how the basics are taught. Some teachers do a better job of manipulating information into interesting ways. Though my son could do math pretty well, he often enjoyed some of the manipulative math and number games introduced in class.<br /><br />3) Do find out if a program “clusters” groups of kids based on ability. I have noticed that if there is at least one or two other kids in the class with similar abilities it allows the teacher to spend some energy at their level. If your child is the only one, then they might not be given as much attention because their needs are not as urgent as a child who is struggling (not true, but that’s another post).<br /><br />4) Find out if the school has gifted or advanced programs set up. If so, ask for an overview of them. You may be surprised that some states have a gifted education mandated. How the program works is also important. Some programs might be integrated into the classroom. Sometimes the kids are pulled out during certain subjects. Other times your child will be placed in a class with gifted children. <br /> <br />5) Find out how your child qualifies to take advantage of services available. Parents have gone to get private testing done just to find out that the findings will not be accepted by the school. Some schools will do their own upon request. Sometimes a school will give you a list of professionals they will accept testing from. It’s great to hear that a school has a gifted program, but if you don’t know how your kid can qualify, it doesn’t mean a hill of beans. Just because your child is gifted does not mean they will test into a particular program.<br /><br />6) Does the school allow teachers to stray from or expand on curriculum? This is often referred as “differentiation.” Some schools are rigid on keeping to the standard curriculum. Some teachers are better staying to the curriculum. For a gifted child you need to find the right balance of what a school will allow a teacher to do and a teacher that easily and readily manipulates and expands subjects. <br /><br />This is just a few things to consider. Do we want our gifted children to learn, expand, and live life fully enriched? Well, of course. Is every school year going to do this for your child? Maybe not. One thing that is important to me is the opportunity for B to help others. It’s going to be a given that in any particular school year he will be one of the brightest. I always encourage him to help others and to be a leader in learning and teaching. I want him to contribute to society even at this age. What good is being in the top 2% if he never reaches out to the other 98%?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-88728460239539352182010-03-02T06:36:00.001-08:002010-03-02T06:51:52.815-08:00You're three year old does what?It has been my experience that something happens with gifted kids between the ages of two and four. They all of a sudden decide that they are in charge of what they want to know and learn and will seek it out. For myself, I noticed that B would start spelling words in the bathtub using the foam letters at the age of two. I thought it was cute until he just kept doing it over and over with new words each time. At some point I thought to myself "If he can spell words, can he read them too?" I soon went out to get some easy beginning books just for the fun of it. One thing I do know is if you tap into something they are currently interested in, they will devour any information that pertains to it. I laugh when people think that I pushed him into reading. My feelings are- who teaches two year old to read? By three my child taught himself to read and was reading level one books.<br /><br /> 2 – 4 years<br /><br />The following includes all/most skills in the checklist above.<br /><br /> * Early and extensive language development and vocabulary, forms grammatically correct sentences as compared to peers<br /> * Interest in computers (not video games)<br /> * Ability to solve a 20-piece puzzle by age 3<br /> * Has a vivid imagination (includes having imaginary friends)<br /> * Extraordinary feats of memory<br /> * Extreme curiosity and asks many questions<br /> * Specific talent (if any), such as artistic ability or an unusual facility for numbers - becomes more apparent by age 4<br /> * Ability to memorize and recall facts easily<br /> * Early development of a sense of humor<br /> * Ability to do one-to-one counting for small quantities by age 3<br /> * Recognition of simple signs and own written name by age 3<br /> * Ability to write letters, numbers, words, and their names between 3 and 4 years<br /> * Ability to read easy readers by age 4<br /> * Rather independent on the computer by age 4<br /> * Demonstration of musical aptitude just after 2<br /> * Ability to do simple addition and subtraction by age 4<br /> * High degrees of mathematical understanding by age 4Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-58984324146731985162010-02-15T12:30:00.000-08:002010-02-15T13:03:33.927-08:00From the BeginningMany people think that it is not until your child is in school that you would find out if they are potentially gifted. If it's your first child, you might have nothing else to compare them to and really be in the dark. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in all the exciting changes happening everyday that you don't connect any early development to future giftedness. Who walks around saying "my baby is 10 months old and I'm sure they're gifted." <br /><br />Birth – 2 years<br />The following checklist is a rough indication of what you may want to look out for after your child is born up to 2 years of age.<br /><br /> * Ability of recognize carers early (within a few months after birth)<br /> * Early expressions (e.g. smiling)<br /> * Unusual alertness<br /> * Interest in books (turning pages of books before 1 year of age and paying attention when read to within 6 months)<br /> * Interest in computers <br /> * Unusually active and high levels of energy (but not hyperactive)<br /> * Playing with shape sorters by about 11 months.<br /> * Ability to form two word phrases by 14 months<br /> * Ability to understand instructions by 18 months<br /> * Ability to say and understand many words before 18 months<br /> * Could stay still and enjoy a TV programs (e.g., Sesame Street) by the age of 1<br /> * Has favorite TV shows/VCD/DVDs by age 1<br /> * Appears to require less sleep (yet not sleepy or irritable due to lack of sleep)<br /> * Recognition of letters/alphabets by age 2<br /> * Recognition and rote counting of numbers 1 – 10 or higher by age 2<br /> * Recognition of colors by age 2<br /> * Recognition of first word by age 2<br /> * Interest in puzzles by age 2<br /> * Has long attention span in interest areas by age 2<br /> * Ability to form at least 3 word sentence by age 2<br /> * Interest in time by age 2Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384867763630460655.post-56568918304589650032010-02-12T07:20:00.000-08:002010-02-12T19:09:35.091-08:00The Gifted MeterI often go from 100 to 20 back to 100 on my gifted motivation meter. It's not that I don't want to be completely involved all the time, it's just that sometimes I need a break. I would like to think that if I had a child who had a different type of disability it would not be this way. I would go to support groups, have meetings with school administrations, and take advantage of any state funds or programs offered. But my child is "gifted." These types of things don't exist (for the most part) and given current conditions of gifted education, I will continue to hobble for quite a while. Just as I was taking a break from the issues, I encountered a post about Linda Silverman. I saw that she was going to be at a nearby school. I figured that she was worth the $10.00 registration fee, or at least worth $10.00 to get out of the house for a bit. <br /><br />If you are not familiar with Linda Silverman she is the Director of the Gifted Development Center in Denver, CO. <br /><br />The presentation was titled:<br />"If our child is so smart, why aren't our lives easier?"<br /><br />I am not a not a note taker and try to commit pertinant information to memory. Sometimes that fails. From my own head here is what I took from it:<br /><br />She started with a gifted 101 characteristics session. For a room full of gifted parents or educators I felt we were already pretty clued into the "sensitivities and intensiveness" of gifted children. As I listened I was eagerly waiting to move on to dealing with those charming hallmarks. She had a lot of great research to share. One that struck me is that most siblings are within 10 IQ points of each other. Identical twins average 6 so 10 is pretty amazingly close. So if you have the notion that your first born is the gifted one and the others just don't compare, look again. This was a real eye opener for me. She introduced birth order research as being one reason why subsequent children would "show" giftedness in a different way. Also, the number one indicator on IQ test for giftedness is vocabulary. Even if the numbers in every other category are low, if the vocabulary category is high, the child is almost certain to be gifted. Having excellent problem solving skills was also a key factor.<br /><br />She discussed that many gifted children have food allergies or sensitivities. This in itself is not that interesting. Then she said of those gifted children who had food allergies 35% was caused by dairy. Now that is amazing. She also said that it was not the lactose in the milk, but the protein casein that was causing the problems. <br /><br />She went on to talk about how gifted children like to argue. I'm not sure how this differs from any child but she did offer some advice to the "It's not fair" argument often heard. When your child uses this phrase reply with "fair to whom?" She went on to define fairness and it's meaning. <br /><br />Perfectionism is often the plague of gifted children. She offered the solution of raising children in a "non-mistake" household. Don't even use the word "mistake" in the household. She told a story of a family making up problems for their children to solve as a way to treat perfectionism and avoidance of mistakes. For example: Offer your child a problem "I forgot to take meat out for dinner, what do you think I should do?" The child will gain confidence from helping you solve an issue. Upon building of this confidence your child may be able to cope with perfectionism and making mistakes in the future.<br /><br />She went into parenting advice for gifted children which can easily apply to anyone who is a parent. Support their interests even if they are not your own. Be their advocate at school. Listen to them. Listening is the greatest gift you can give to them. If that means saying "let me finish this so I can listen to you" then do this and make sure you follow through. Get them with peers. Many gifted children will hide amongst non-peers. It is only when they are comfortable being themselves that they will thrive. Don't force children to say "sorry" teach them instead how to make amends for the wrong doing. <br /><br />Overall, I really enjoyed the presentation. She has a wonderful sense of humor and her speaking style is approachable. The light bulb moment came for me when she quoted a woman (I wish I remembered the name) who once said "how dare you deprive my child of struggle" because out of struggle comes learning. Ding. Light is on and now I'm home.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6