Archive for the ‘Schools’ Category

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Many thanks to Mad Eye Moody for the dead-on description of what it’s like to live with and raise gifted sons. People will watch them and comment, “Oh my, they keep you on your toes, don’t they?” Duh, random person making small talk, this is nothin’. I’ve been trying to stay one step ahead for the last nine years and failing miserably, so truly your comments are a paean to the High Priestess of Obviousness. Yes, it is terribly windy out. Have a nice day yourself.

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

At home it’s ensuring they have not built a intricate fort of epic proportions, blocking the long-suffering dog from her crate. It’s putting double and triple security measures on the computer, so we don’t suddenly have an expensive paperweight. It’s preparing for a meltdown anywhere, anytime, because something has triggered the wiring in the gifted kid’s over-excitabilities sector. It’s being ready for a philosophical question at a moment’s notice, similar to the story Robyn shared at A 2E (Twice-Exceptional) Journey. I haven’t had that exact question, but I’ve had some doozies.

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

At school it’s staying on top of everything. Everything. To the casual observer, I am a helicopter parent. That drives me to the brink of insanity, just daring me to jump in and get it over with. I’m not a helicopter parent, I laugh that I parent with benign neglect, but at 9 A still needs help remembering ABC and no amount of natural consequences work. Trust me, I’ve been to more parenting seminars that you can imagine. He just needs more guidance, and me emailing teachers so that we’re all on the same page.

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Part of CONSTANT VIGILANCE! is reviewing graded work that returns home because the boys sure aren’t running in the door with papers in hand, begging for them to be displayed on the fridge. A got his book report on Albert Einstein back the other day and he knocked it out of the park (helped that he saw a lot of himself in Einstein). His multiplication page was awesome; got all but four completed, but every single one was correct. Got a Theme Progress Test back and only missed one, but…what the hell? Ohhhhh…further proof that gifted kids think differently. Hm. How would you answer this question?

What does it mean to draw conclusions when you read?

1. decide the main point of the reading
2. use what you know and what you read to make a decision about the text
3. relate the text to other texts, your life, and the world
4. ask questions to determine the author’s purpose for writing

I see three arguably correct answers. A’s answer (#3) was marked incorrect. Tom and I can’t figure out which answer is the “correct” one. Now, it’s 3rd grade and it’s one answer on a test and I’m not going in to the teacher to argue it. That would be helicopter parenting. But I would like to know, for my own brain, which it is. Because I think #3 could be correct and because I can’t see an obviously correct answer. Unfortunately, because of the way public education is set up, where there are “right answers” and “wrong answers,” shades of grey (thinking) aren’t valued.

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

I’ll be so glad when the school year ends in a few weeks. For the first time ever, I am glad that school is ending. For the CONSTANT VIGILANCE! will then be home-based for a few months.

Ruled in our favor. 7-0. Never expected a unanimous vote. Ever.

Because it’s apparent that the school is a go, and I’m anticipating that I’ll be heavily involved (and perhaps serve on the Board of Directors), this will be the last I’ll write about the charter school. I can’t risk anything interfering with the success of this school, so I’m done with it here.

My poor husband may be getting the brunt of it all now.

7-0. Stunning.

This calls for wine.

Well, the time has come. Tomorrow the state board of education rules on our charter school. Either they vote in our favor and it goes back to the district for (pleaseGodohplease) approval, or it ends tomorrow afternoon. Guess which scenario I prefer? As the latter involves me and gainful employment so I can pay for private school, you’d be totally correct in thinking the former is my preference. Eighteen hours from now I’ll have a better idea of what the next three months might look like. I hope.

Tomorrow is also the IEP renewal meeting for J’s speech therapy. Oh? I don’t mention his speech therapy much here? You’re right, I don’t. Might have something to do with the fact that Older Brother is a much squeakier wheel, and J’s therapy is easy and paid for by the district. He’s been in official speech therapy for four years now (yes, he’s just short of six, I’ve done the math and I try not to dwell on the fact that it’s over half his life). J has made great improvements in his speech, but he still lags behind in a few sounds. Lags behind nearly 3 years with those sounds, but because it’s not affecting his educational performance, it’s likely his IEP won’t be renewed. I know I could fight it tomorrow (and I suspect I wouldn’t need to fight terribly hard, either), but I’m just playing it by ear. I hate for him to lose ground (I don’t think he will), but I hate to not fight for the IEP and then need it later. We’ll see. It’s hard to fight for services when he’s reading (minimum)  four years above grade level.

Oh, and I have my first cold in three years. I’ve been a laugh riot the last few days. I took my NyQuil nightcap about 45 minutes ago, and now I’m playing “How Long Can I Stay Lucid” roulette. I give myself until I finish this post before my head slaps down on the keyboard.

I pray I return with good news about the school. I have no idea how I’ll swing working with the boys.

I finally did it. After years of struggle, and months of putting it off, I sent A’s teachers/counselors/principal a detailed email describing what we’ve been going through and begging for help. I finally came to the conclusion that I can do all the reading and researching and implementing here I want, but without the help of the people with him for the better part of the day, I’m just Sisyphus. This was the first time I sent an email to everyone. Before now, it was just a “please help” email to a single teacher, maybe two. This time was “PLEASE HELP AND HERE’S WHY” to anyone who could help him. Vague promises of accommodations are no longer enough. Not for this kid. I want it in writing, I want it in an IEP, I want it to follow him to any school he may attend.

Tom and I have ideas of what he needs to succeed, but as this is our first trip to this particular amusement park, we know there are things we’ll miss without guidance. Here’s where you all come in. If you could have any accommodations for your child at school, what would they be? Aim high, money no object, flip off the state testing. What would your perfect accommodations be? What is the perfect world for a gifted kid in elementary school?

Tweet this, stumble it, shout it to the heavens. Let’s get a discussion going. Our kids can all benefit.

The charter school’s application was denied. The steering committee is appealing to the state Board of Education. This is where we stand right now. The school I think would be best for our sons is in limbo. Still.

I know every gifted and twice-exceptional learner is different…ohhhh, do I ever know this!…but does an ideal educational situation for such a child exist? I know every school and teacher is different, but I’m convinced that public schools aren’t the best option for divergent learners, gifted, or 2e kids. My sons attend a “Gifted and Talented Focus School”…public, our neighborhood school…and it is a terrible fit. I see my 3rd grader’s love for learning ebbing dramatically. The ONLY thing he talks about is the 1 hour A WEEK he goes to the GT pullout program. Last week A created a podcast, reading aloud to kids. Next he wants to upload it to iTunes. Everything else is boring, or stupid, or just not talked about. Can’t say I blame him. If I had to learn to skip count to 100 for the third year in a row, I’d be bored to tears too. The school appears to be achievement based for giftedness, not ability based, and that’s just wrong.

Is homeschooling the best option? On the one hand, I’d never have to deal with the unholy homework battles again, or doing the school’s dirty work in forcing him to do more of things that he’s already done a gazillion times before. On the other hand…frankly, for my own sanity, I need them to be someone else’s responsibility for a few hours a day. Tiffani, at Child’s Play, had this to say about 2e kids and learning today:

One thing I know is that if you have a 2e kid–creative, right brained, divergent thinking, gifted with significant learning differences–regardless of where they go to school, you are a homeschooler. You have to take their homework and then reteach it so they understand. You have to work, hard, with them to help it make sense and stay relevant. They may go to school every day, but the real learning probably only starts once they’re one on one with you.

She’s absolutely right, of course. I’m already a homeschooler, I just don’t get to choose the curriculum. Right now I’m making A learn what the school wants him to learn, while the school ignores the things that interest him, such as science. This morning we sat down to watch Bill Nye’s new educational series on algebra. How much do my boys want to learn? They RACED through their morning chores so they could watch a DVD on algebra before school. They loved it. A was excited to learn about exponents, and ratios, and how negative numbers are just numbers on the number line, on the other side of zero. What will he do in math today? Drill and kill on multiplication and division, where he’ll maybe hit 60% accuracy and feel like a failure. Here at home? Watch out, he’ll smoke you in Monopoly, using those very same skills and not know it.

Winter break is going to be a break from the homework battles (and really, is there a better way to kill the love of reading than filling out a reading log?), but an increase in actual learning. Museums and learning games and reading for fun (RULE #1: NO.READING.LOGS.). If you think you’re playing me in Spore on Facebook, um, no, you’re playing an eight year old who hijacks my account every afternoon.

I’m still 100% behind the charter school as it goes through the appeal process, but I’m also actively investigating private schools and homeschooling. If it wasn’t such a raging PITA, I’d consider moving to be closer to a great school.

I’m just sick of sacrificing my sons’ education at the alter of their schooling.