In our school search just over a year ago, I was able to get a vibe of the school pretty quickly. Some of the good schools focused on individualized education and progressing children at their own pace. Others had the "all children are gifted in their own way" talk right off the bat, which I thought was odd. Yes, every child is special and have strength and weaknesses, but I wanted to know how they would be able to educate a HG+ child.

I avoided the word "gifted" even though that is a word the schools used. I also did not say that my child was "bored" or anything negative about the current situation. My usual explanation was that she was progressing through standard curriculum quickly and was looking for additional challenge or a faster pace of learning. I brought her achievement and group IQ test scores as I didn't have a WISC done at that time. Some schools asked for the info, others could care less.

When we met with the gifted coordinator at our current school, everything clicked immediately. HE was the one explaining what gifted children needed in their education and the philosophy of the school. I didn't have to advocate for my child, he advocated for her. I was on cloud 9 when he offered to test her IQ for free through the school system to find out her unique circumstances. Over a year later, I have a happy child who can't wait for summer to end so she can start middle school.

I hope you find a good fit for your child.

Jen