This is exactly what I hoped for. People with the kids impacted by our decisions to make ME think.
But oh my, Grinity, do you really think they would let us talk about how much we can spend per one hundred children? This will, my dear, be a non-budgeted endeavor. Now, understand, the state does have some grant money that they hand out, but this year that money was received in January. It must be spent by the end of July. I can do a little higher level thinking, but it doesn't take that to figure out that leaves nothing to start programming for the fall.
Our grant writer is heading our committee to get going. The first proposal was that we would identify in the fall to start programs in January to match the grant. I sent him my revised thoughts on that plan last week. This needs to happen this spring and start something this fall.
I teach in a semi rural setting and a fairly small school system. When I came here they were just starting a pull-out program for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. I was in two buildings. The larger one was my assignment for three days and the smaller one was the other two. You know how budgets are..... and we were in trouble on year number 5 of my career. Guess whose job was the first to be in the proposed cuts. (Here I am meeting with the coordinator arguing to increase the program and the superintendent is with the board eliminating it FIRST!!!) The building level administrators and coordinator SALVAGED the program to part time. Not great, but still something for the kids. (I also taught Title 1 reading for half the day after that decision. That may be where my penchant for the split I proposed came from.)
Although it was okay, I was not happy in the position once it was watered down so- time wise. I requested a move to the classroom.
My understanding, over the next few years (as the program was simply a stepping stone to something full time), the quality dwindled until the current superintendent insisted that it should just be eliminated.
We have pretty much ignored the GT or high ability as Indiana now wants to call the group, until the state stepped in with this new law. Any questions parents had were always sent my way. My former students are now parents and asking questions about THEIR program. It is really kind of cool having those "kids" reminding of the things that we did. It makes me feel like I did make a difference in their educations. But my answering questions and sending parents to outside sources was our involvement.
I know that you already are aware of this, but parents are usually much more in tune with the child's giftedness than the teachers involved. I can't tell you how many times I had to argue that it really didn't matter to me if the child was getting a D in history while in the regular classroom. While with me, he was the leader in the discussion on "whatever the days topic" or the one providing my latest challenge (before the days of internet) on where to find information on an adult type topic. His independent study was usually the most thorough and he had the most understanding of what he was to do. NO, I WILL NOT ASK THE PARENTS TO REMOVE HIM FROM THE PROGRAM.
"Why should the child have to come back to your room and do the paper with 50 addition problems? You are a "cluster teacher" and are supposed to be doing curriculum compacting!" It was constant with some teachers. I honestly felt like it was a punishment to be bright at times. I was expecting more out of them than they had ever produced and their classroom teachers, I swear, did more worksheets in that 2-3 hours than they did the rest of the week altogether.
Yes, there are times for complete sentences and sometimes my answer is, "Because I said so." Yet most of the time who cares? I am really just happy to get the thoughts down.
I had that discussion on getting others to change their ways with a fellow teacher today--one that UNDERSTANDS- and she simply ended with......what are you going to do???? (Probably pull my hair out.)
Wow!!! I had actually forgotten those headaches over the years!!
By the way, I am also quite sure that our definition will be very broad (probably too much so) if we end up clustering. Those with high ability in one area will definitely be part of the mix.
One thing that I am sure is going to have to happen is that more screening will have to be done prior to kindergarten entry. We have that all wrong right now too. We offer full day Kdg. to the neediest kids. Yet we wait until they are settled into the half day routine and then screen a couple of weeks into the year and totally change their schedule--sometimes including sections (classmates.) Just what I think you want to do to an adjusting kindergartner.
(One of these days I may decide that I don't have enough influence from the four walls of my classroom and go after that administration degree. By then, though, my ideas will probably be stale.)
