I know I haven't posted for a long time. Things have been crazy at our house. My oldest just started school so we have been adjusting to that schedule, homework, and all the fun that comes with Kindergarten. He is enjoying it and having a blast.
Today I want to talk about what has happened since my son started school. I posted a while ago about my son and about what he can do. My son just turned 6 and has been reading for well over a year now. He is going to a title 1 school (a school where a majority of the kids are low income so the school receives extra money to help them because most aren't on grade level). I didn't want him to waste a year learning his ABC's when he was already capable of, but doesn't like to, read chapter books. I spoke with his teacher and after testing him to see what his ability level was we decided to put him in a first grade reading group so he wouldn't get bored.
After about two weeks of him going to first grade for reading I finally got to meet the first grade teacher that he is working with. She asked me "If he's in a first grade reading group now what are your plans for him next year?"
WOW. That question hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. I thought I had a plan which was plan have him got to a second grade reading group next year, and so on and so on until the other kids knew how to read. The way kids learn changes about 3rd grade, kids stop learning how to read and begin to read to learn. Now I'm a teacher and understand how difficult it can be to have a "gifted and talented" child in your classroom. It's hard to keep them going, hard to keep up with them because they pick up on things so fast, and hard to keep everyone else moving. When you have a classroom with kids ability levels ranging from early 2nd grade to not even knowing their ABC's it makes things hard. I thought I was doing his teacher a favor by asking that he go to a different reading group so she wouldn't have to come up with more for him to do. But in the process I may be doing my son a disservice.
Now can I just say that he has the best Kindergarten teacher. I volunteer in his classroom, which I recommend every parent do, not only to get to know the teacher and the school but to show your child that education is important. The Kindergarten Curriculum says that they need to count to 20, my son can already count to 100. So as the other kids are writing to 5 she tells my son to write to 100. When the other kids are writing their letters, she tells my son to write a sentence. These seem like little things but they really can make a big difference.
Our Options
Our options aren't great. Each one has it's own pros and cons. I feel like I'm picking the lesser evil of all the choices. None really fits our family very well.
Skipping a grade - The first grade teacher he is working with suggested that I have him skip a grade. She says that he will do just fine, loves the kids in her class, and could still go on to receive awards in high school. Basically she saying that him skipping a grade wouldn't be pushing him too fast and he would still succeed later on in life. She said she placed his ability level at an early second grader. This option is highly frowned upon by schools so to get it you have to make a lot of noise and really fight for it. It's an uphill battle.
To a parent this sounds great- talk about bragging rights. "So did you hear, my son just got put in 1st grade. He got to skip Kindergarten completely." But then there's the "What if's" and this is what I'm stuck on. What if he does hit a wall later on in life and isn't mature enough to learn the material (there are studies out there that show kids have to be mature enough to learn the material or the chances of them understanding it are slim.) What's going to happen to him when he becomes a teenager? Will the other kids make fun of him because he is not going to be tall. Not even by a long shot so not only would he be the absolute youngest in his class, he will also be the smallest. He's a boy and boy's naturally mature slower. Will I set him up to fail later on socially? We belong to the church of Jesus Chirst of Latter Day Saints. We have a some traditions in our religion, some big milestones in kids lives. When they turn 16 not only do they get to drive but they also get to date for the first time. He wouldn't get to participate in any of the school dances if he skips a grade. He'd miss all of that and be bumming rides off his friends for a whole school year and a month into the next. If I have him skip a grade I could destroy him socially for the rest of his life. If I don't he could be bored out of his mind and decide school isn't worth his time because he already knows the stuff.
Man I just wish I had a crystal ball that I could look into and see down all the paths for my son instead of just throwing a dart into the night and praying for the best.
Another Option Our school district has a program called Spectrum. Basically the kids are tested and those that are deemed "gifted and talented" go to a special classroom and receive special assignments and look deeper into history and science than their peers. It sounds like a good program. I'm planning on looking into it in depth but there's just one problem. There are only 3 schools that offer it in my district and they are 5-15 miles away. That doesn't sound like too much except we are currently a 1 car family. My husband takes the car to work everyday. 7 days a week and works 30 minutes to 2 hours away depending on which job he's at and leaves at 4:30am or 7:00am and gets home between 6 and 8pm each night. It would be a major struggle getting him there and back every day and what would I do if there ever were an emergency like he gets sick at school. We are borrowing a car from my parents but if they sell it or need it we are out of luck. I'm luckier than most. I have family that could step in and is willing to help occasionally, what about those families like us that don't have that option?
There are always Charter schools. I know but the charter schools I've worked at are just that. Schools. They offer a speciality which would be nice. He could learn to speak Spanish or be tech savvy. But once again that's a drive to get him there. The closest charter school is 5ish miles away and probably wouldn't be as good to work with. They don't have other options for "gifted and talented" kids. Most just put them in their grade level and leave it up to the teacher to determine how to challenge the kids so it really depends on the teacher you get. The luck of the draw.
The final option is homeschool. We could put him in an on-line charter school which would work with him at his pace. It would push him through the system, and possibly challenge him more than the other options but what about the FUN part of school. The recess, field trips, assemblies, class parties and making new friends. He would miss out on all of that.
By law the schools have to accommodate my son. They have to teach him at his ability level. They have to teach all children at their ability level. Those that don't have learning disabilities need to be on grade level. Those that have learning disabilities need to be making progress toward grade level and receive extra help to do so. What about those that have already passed their grade level?
The first thing we need to decide it what kind of education we want our son to have. Do we just want to push him through the system, to enjoy being a kid and enjoy learning, or to dive in, study and be challenged. Once we make that decision that will help determine which path we set our son on as he begins his education. As my husband and I discuss our options we keep saying there has to be a better option then sending him to another school, keeping him where he is bored, skipping a grade, or homeschool.
We need other options!! My son is luckier than most. I know how to challenge him and have the resources to do so. If I need to I can scrape up enough money to purchase a subscription to one of the on-line educational game sites that I review. I can take him to the library and challenge him mathematically with open ended math problems.
As I sit her typing I'm listening to my kids be normal kids, rough housing and playing and I wonder what decision is going to be best for our little family. It's great having a "gifted" child. He is so easy to teach, but it comes with it's own realm of struggles too. Struggles that there currently aren't any good options for.
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