Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Trinity Hall of Fame

Hi Dear Ones,
Let's start a virtual Hall of Fame for Parents or Teachers who went up against "da system" and moved things forward for their child, and perhaps for the next similar child as well. Please feel free to self nominate or nominate each other. We need a place were we can go to see that although often we lose, sometimes we win on behalf of our children.

Love and More Love,
Trinity

I nominate Debbie, "dajohnson60" and her son's Principle. Debbie, would you tell it in your own words?

Oh, I feel so humbled right now...so many others have had successes before me! But, since you asked, here is how our situation played out (in as small a nutshell as I can make it!)

8 months before our son, MrWiggly, would be entering K we realized that he was already doing stuff at K level or beyond. I called the school to find out about K curriculum and advancement. Found out they don't advance.

We had son tested by an educational specialist, for our own confirmation of his skills. Found out that he fell in the range of "highly gifted", with achievement scores in the 98th - 99.9th percentiles across the board. Called the school, sent a copy of the report. The principal and superintendent politely thanked me, but then said I needed to register him for K and the teacher would do her own assessment as the year progressed.

Deciding that K would NOT work for him (behaviors, boredom, etc) we took MrWiggly for private testing. IQ, out-of-level achievement test, adaptive skills assessment and screening for ADHD. This testing finally convinced the school to let him start right in first grade - just 7 days before the school year started!

MrWiggly was bored with 1st grade math by October. By spring, we had to pull him out to homeschool in math. After several meetings the principal had told us that they just could not meet his needs (not enough resources, etc) and that if we wanted to homeschool that was fine. At that time we asked if they would test him BEFORE starting 2nd grade so that he could be considered for 3rd grade math in the fall. Somewhere during the springtime, the principal came on board with us and agreed to do the testing. So, this August he was tested and they placed him in 3rd for math! With plans to monitor his progress and make program changes as the year progresses. And with a commitment from the principal that "we intend to be able to meet MrWiggly's needs for the ENTIRE school year." Yea! Advocacy success!

Hope that helps give others hope and some suggestions for the process.

NOW, let's hear more success stories!

Thanks Debbie - that was nicely summarized! Boy oh Boy, I can remember that living through it is a whole nother thing entirely.

I didn't realized that you had him tested twice? By the same tester or different? What made the 2nd test more effective than the first?

Also, when you pulled him to homeschool, did you pull just for math, or for all the subjects?

I'm going to politely dissagree with Dottie (who has permission to nominate, or second, as do all of you!) that you should kick back as much as you can - assuming that even you lowest level of survailence is actually pretty high. I though of it more as a chance to have a more typical Mother-son relationship, and re-focus our activities.

Enjoy,
Trinity

Sorry for the slow response - sooooo busy at work and home!

MrWiggly was first tested just for achievement and the test used was the Woodcock-Johnson 3. The second testing was done at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education, by a psychologist specializing in assessing gifted kids. It was much more comprehensive, more appropriate regarding tests used and way more impressive to the school!

Homeschooling was only in math. He had it first thing in the morning, so we just took him to school after math class was done. Worked out well, except for all the changes in OUR schedules as parents!

MrWiggly had his first day in 3rd grade math yesterday and was really happy and just fine with the situation. So far so good!

Yippee!!
Your DS and his Teacher - Horray!!

Bump -
Wow Incog! I'm so so so happy for your daughter! This is an excellent event ((tears of joy))
So, I'm copying/pasting you over here in the hall of fame -
Please add any commentary you feel help explain how you did it, and why it's important!

Re: grade skipping [Re: Dottie]
incogneato incogneato
Member


Registered: October 25, 2007
Posts: 85 Hi Teachkc, and Welcome.

We have a second grade girl. It's been clear for a while that she is misplaced in her same age grade. Our principal is seemingly opposed to grade acceleration, and I think it's because they have pull out enrichment twice a week. Also beginning in 4th, they have everyday pull outs and a seperate gifted magnet for the top 1%.
Lately my sweet docile girl has been acting out in class and writing mocking discourse on her turn in assignments.
At this point, even the principal was open to a skip. When I told DD7 she became very upset. Even though I haven't seen evidence that she has really bonded with any one child, she is very well liked and loves her teacher and her agemates. She has always been sensitive, but never very emotional and she cried more that I've ever seen her when presented with the idea she would skip. She said if she was skipped all her friends would disappear. The climate at our school is such, that I don't think it would be good for her socially either.
The teacher worked with the elementary gifted teacher and they created a program for DD7 and five others in her class to leave each day.
DD7 is actually excited about this. It not only helps her but five others in her class who are probably highly gifted. It also helps a few others in class who are probably moderately gifted, because, those six children have been hogging up resources the other gifted children in class didn't have access to and now they will.Grade skips are great and I wish we would have been able to see the future when DD7 entered kindergarten, because I would have made sure she skipped right then and there.
Some kids can skip in higher grades and it's the best thing for them, but some may not do as well.
It is fair to address your child's school and ask for an alternative solution for your child if grade skipping won't work for him.
With your experience, maybe you have noticed others in your son's class that have already mastered the material.
You might be able to suggest that perhaps a few children could work together and benefit with a differentiated program.
Even if that's not the case you can continue to work with the school to have them provide an appropriate education.
It has been a many step process for us and her educational needs will never be totally met at school; I've accepted that. At this point, I think they are doing the best they can. If she's happy with it, I'm happy with it and will continue to work with her at home on the subjects she is interested in.
During the break she will take the WIAT and I will have yet another piece of information. I will bring it in to the school if needed, but mostly it will give me an idea of what she already knows so I can help her learn at home.
BTW I know a lot of homeschoolers around here whose parents are/were teachers!!!!!
-snip

Incog

NOT a self-nomination but hopefully some encouragement to keep pushing for what you think is best for you children:

At the end of 1st grade, and without me knowing, the school tested dd (then 6) for the GT program at school. She came home crying because she said she had a test and got everything wrong on it. (the tester was marking things down on the paper, which is what dd said her teacher did when she got wrong answers). After speaking with the school they informed me that she did not qualify for GT and that her IQ came in at 106!

Well I KNEW this was not right, that she emotionally crumbled during the test and asked if they would retest her. I was told it was the districts policy to test only once a year and that she would have to wait until the end of 2nd grade to try again. I requested a meeting with the psychologist and we talked about her test. After speaking with him it was obvious that dd had had a horrible day (ended up getting really sick a day after the test) and insisted that the test did not reflect dd's abilities. Well, they agreed to retest her at the beginning of the 2nd grade year. I sensed that they werent convinced it would make a difference since her original IQ score was 24 points away from qualifiying. Well, I knew better. Her 2nd test showed an full IQ of 140 (with a verbal 150)!

Now she is in the GT class and after just one month she has caught up and passed the other children who have been in for 4 months.

I'm glad I didn't sit back. We know our kids..and we have to always fight for what we think is best for them.

So true! Yay for you!

<patting Tammy's back in sisterly celebration>

Dottie, from what I understand they just did an abbreviated weschler test orginally. The 2nd time they did another abbreviated test, then gave her the full scale test after seeing her scores had shot up.

I second said nomination!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hip, hip, hooray!

Bravo Dottie!

Yahoo, Dottie! An inspiration to us all!

((( Grinity Grin!!!)))
Go Dottie!

I want to nomonate my own family for the "Hall of Fame."

We were in the car on the way home today, and DS was venting about one of his teachers and noting that 'other kids are starting to notice even.' When I reminded DS it's normal to get one or two teachers each year who are less than what one might want,and that DS is still responsible to learn and to act in such a way that will get him placed into the honors class next year when he gets to High School.

DS instantly agreed, and asked me to send an email around to that teacher and ask if he is 'on track' to be nominated. Then he thought better of it and asked me to check with all the teachers. DS12's grades are online, so he knows that he is doing 'A' work, but he also realizes that there are 'attitude' components to school.

That's when I got the little chill feeling that led me to dig up this old thread and put him here. I am so proud that my own child:

A)Is putting in effort to 'ace the tests.' Some review is involved.
B) Is handing in his homework
C) Has a method to keep track of what the homework is, and uses the method independently.
D) Is monitoring his grades
E) Realizes that his classroom behavoir also matters
F) Is using me as a resource to help monitor how others are percieving his classroom behavior.

The best part of all is that I'm sitting here thinking:
"Well, Maybe he's just growing up."

Then I remind myself of the efforts and interventions we've been making ever since 4th grade, for the last 3.5 years, to put him in situations where he would have a chance to learn, to learn how to learn, and to learn the need to comply. DH and I made huge investments, more than we would have thought that we possibly could in terms of time and money and determination to disipline. We took terrible risks with the parts of his world that on the surface seemed to be going well - his social life, and tonight, listening to my kid talk, I thought - we did it!

Our goal was to put him in an environment where he had an even chance to develop and reverse his underachievment. From this moment's vantage point, I feel like this is accomplished! Go DS12! Go Grinity and Grin's DH! Yippee!

Oh, Grinity! What a great night for you and your son! I'm near tears (and I don't do that!).

Congratulations, and well done.

I agree, congrats! I really hope that your experiences are going to continue to help me as I am truly just beginning this journey.

I�m truly happy for your son�s success.

WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!

You just gave me a chill! Thanks for posting that! Makes me more confident in my "risk" taking; and, more determined than ever that I am on the right track.

You are the original Trinity Hall of Famer! Parent Hall of Fame, poster hall of fame, advocate hall of fame, mommy hall of fame!

Grinity, that is wonderful! yay! Thank you Grinity for sharing your big big successes!

And thank you for resurrecting this post. It is nice to read the backstories of others here. I had to check, because it seems like i've been a member here forever, but it's just under 1 year.

My goal is to be able to say the same thing in 6 years. Thanks for the inspiration!

Thanks for helping me celebrate. It would be such a lonely road without you.

We got the email, and lots of nice comments, along with an almost universal plea for him to 'be a bit more patient and understanding that there is a whole classroom of children who need to be heard from, or drawn out.'

This is the same feedback we got when he was in daycare at age 18 months. I can date the memory because I remember the teacher explaining to me that she has 4 children to look after, and that each one should get one quarter of her attention, and that DS needs to let her do that.

At least nowadays we can have a family talk, which we did, and let the teachers know that we did. Back then I was totally flabergasted at how to help. The daycare teacher seemed to imply that there was something I was doing wrong and should change it, but I just couldn't figure out how I was going to do that.

Nowadays I'm also willing to entertain the idea that this isn't 'all my fault,' but is some kind of karmic lesson that it is his journey to figure out.

Bottom Line: He's still himself, but as he gets older he is able to modulate lots (but not all) of it, and the settings he finds himself in keep suiting him better and better.

Smmiles,
Grinity

<happy sigh>

Honestly, you give me hope! Such a light and happy thread. You're bringing tears to my eyes again.

Cut it out, will you?! Who will believe that I am cold and analytical if you keep making me cry?

shake it off spock........shake it off...

<biting lip>

I'm better now. Thanks!

As I read more and more on here, I realize that compared to many of you my road has been very easy. but it's because of one person and I'd like to nominate her.

We live in a small community in NM. The district has very limited resources and I had been told on more than one occasion that I should consider moving to a different state.

The diagnostician at our local school approached me while I was at the school with another child. She had heard stories of the wunderkid I had stashed at home. I'm guessing she got her information from my other kids, don't really know for sure. I explained to her that I had applied for early admission to K the year prior and was refused. We were homeschooling and since he was accelerated in all subject I decided homeschooling was the only way to deal with his educational needs. She asked me if I had any samples of work, tests or anything that she could look at. I told her that I made him take the Washington standards test every time he completed a grade level of work. She asked me if I would consider enrolling him in the school if they could come up with a program that would meet his needs. I admit I was extremely sceptical (partly from reading posts on here) but I agreed to look at what they came up with.

The following week, she asked me if I could attend a meeting with several people from the district. The school principal along with the Director of Special Ed, the Superintendant of Curriculum and a bunch of others attended. I brought the standards test he had taken. After his tests were passed around the table, they agreed that it would be a challenge but that they would like the opportunity to try. All of this without any formal testing. The diagnostician gave me a list of teachers that were being considered for his classes and asked me to take the time to do observations. She wanted to know which teachers I thought he would do well with. I gave her my recommendations and got called in again. She and I sat with the principal and built his schedule. The principal told me that the Director of Special Ed had given the school complete flexibility to met DS needs as they saw fit. The school had to submit a quarterly report on his progress and changes that were made to his schedule.

We built a schedule that looked like a middle schooler, changing classes several times a day based on subject. He was offered classes that aren't normally adressed until 3rd grade like Science and Social Studies. He has computer science and participates in a special program called "Concepts of Algebra" with the gifted teacher. He was given "official" tests about six weeks in and the results bear out all of the accomadations that have been made. He absolutely loves school! Over winter break he drove me crazy wanting to go back.

Without the diagnostician, he would still be at home with me so she gets my nomination. But honestly the entire district has been amazing. The principal has already given me a list of teachers for next year that she would like me to observe. His IEP is already scheduled for the end of the year so that we can go into the summer with everything for next year in place.