A few weeks after James had started school, it became apparent that he was way ahead of his peers. In Michigan he was ahead too, but I thought it was just because of the wide variety of learners in Kindergarten and because he was old for his grade and we had worked with him at home. When we got to first grade and the gap seemed even wider, I met with his teacher to let her know that James was being tested for the district-wide gifted program. She let me know that she had already started creating a separate curriculum for him, that he had tested almost 200 points above his next classmate on his recent test and that she felt it would be a good idea and a good fit for James if he were to get into the program. She was also amazing and said she was happy to continue helping him to learn at his own level in her classroom, but that it might be difficult and he would be doing a lot of individual work.
When James went to the testing, I was a bit nervous. There was only one spot left in the school that was close to our home (otherwise we would have to drive him about 20 minutes each way and I just didn't see how that would work). In order to get the spot he had to have the highest score on the test of the group that was being tested.
He did not seem to think the tests were all that challenging, so I was hopeful but also okay with the idea of him staying at the neighborhood school since he was making good friends, had a great teacher and could walk there with his brothers.
I got a call on Friday morning from the head of the district's gifted program. James had scored extremely high in all areas of the test...placing him in the 96th percentile for those who took the gifted test. She felt very strongly that the gifted program was created for learner like James. I talked to her for quite awhile and she was helpful and gave all kinds of good reasons for us to accept the spot. After talking with James, he decided it would be a good idea too, so here he is on his first day at the new school...nervous and not at all wanting a picture.
So far it has been a good move academically, though his teacher says she is still trying to keep up with him and challenge him. It is good to see him in a classroom with kids who learn closer to his level. He likes it, but does miss his old school and friends. The interesting thing about James is that while he is a gifted learner, he is not socially awkward and does not have behavior problems like some gifted kids have. He is just a regular guy...so he misses recess, gym, and the fun things that he did at his old school. Overall we think we made the right decision for now, but we will see how things go in the future. So grateful for his incredibly quick mind and his interest in everything!
Another item worth noting is that Pierce became absolutely obsessed with tags. He LOVES them. He loves to hold them and needs them when he sleeps. This is a picture of him holding the tag at his neck, the tag on his pants and sucking his binky. We have never had a kid with a weird obsession, so this one is a bit comical and a little crazy. Good thing we love him so much!
James also had an awesome opportunity and was chosen as the winner in the art division of the reflections competition at his school. The greatest part about it was that he decided on his project all on his own and executed it all on his own. Looking forward to posting a picture of it because it really was a great piece of abstract art. It is now being judged at the district level. He was excited about his win!
A little note about Parker. He is just such a great kid. Ever since the move, he has had oodles of friends stopping by and calling. One day he had some friends here and another boy knocked on the door. One of the boys peered out and said, "It's Tanner! Don't open it." Parker immediately said, "That's rude." Then opened the door for his friend to come in. He was especially nice to Tanner all afternoon, making sure he felt loved and comfortable. He is just good to the core and always does the right thing. In fact, his teacher said, "I would just love to have a whole classroom full of Pakers." He is also doing incredibly well academically and is at the top of his class. He is a great brother to Pierce and we can always count on him to watch out for him and make sure he is taken care of.
No comments:
Post a Comment