We had the meeting. Which was complicated by the the Jewish holiday yesterday and the Monday off.... but Friday on? (not sure what Monday's holiday is?) also DS7 woke up last night at 12 screaming about a pain in his eye. He had a migrain, lasted 2 hours.... so I had to make sure his insurance was good this morning and get him an appointment at his DR. This is the first time I have taken him to the DR. for this he has had them before a few times, but last night was really bad. He is going to see a headache DR. and a eye DR.... but that's off the point.
The meeting was at 8 am, I am workin' on about 3 hours sleep....
So she said he missed stuff cause he didn't go to 2nd. and said that we shouldn't focus on just his gifts. Because then sometimes kids take that on as all they are. And seek approval through it. Which I explain was not the case with DS7 and that he was daily reminded that smarter isn't better, it's just smarter. Also since we have a mentally retarder person in our family, we don't make value judgments based on intelligence. It sort of shut her up.
Also she mentioned more then once that she has gifted children. She didn't choose to put them ahead, although they could have.
WHAT SHE DIDN'T SAY- she lives in a wealthy district that has a gt program from an early age. The kids are all suburban in that district and so they had more access to early learning and therefore start off kindergarten ahead of the typical inner-city kid. A second grader in a city school is an altogether different student then a suburban second grader. So sure if we had been in a wealthy suburban that has a gifted program, we might have not chosen to skip.... but how does that saying going about the word "if"? we're not..... so the best of all the options was to skip, so we did.
Can you tell I wanted to scream at her? She works in the district, she has the inner city kids in her class, she's bright, she should be able to figure this one out! I can't point this out for fear she will take it out on my poor kid.....
She did say that he is pretty capable of doing the work. But she is afried that his immurtiy and everything he missed will hold him back with some of the work. Also he is not writing enough or giving enough input on answers..... he reads and comprehends well- but is not outputting info.... and not internilazing the info enough.... which if he is not outputting enough or talking about what he has read.... how would she know what he is internizling?
I explained that the book she gave him, he did not take very serious as it was the type of book he would have read before kindergarten. I didn't say, I think he felt insulted by being given it to read and take seriously. I am trying to back her up and say, "I think she is giving you this book so you can learn how to break it down. Learn how to analyse a book."
She of course talk about The BIG SOCIAL PROBLEM! and said how the kids had been very nice about having him here. Like it was some sort of imposition. She added he is not really fitting in because of the age difference. And that he needed to "learn what it means to be a friend."
I stopped her in her tracks, he's not being teased, he didn't fit in with the second grade kids that well either and then I added, "He's younger then them and is never going to catch up, it is what it is."
(btw, I didn't say this to her but I have observed him at school and the kids are nice to him accept him for who he is. And a few are building friendships.) DH chimed in and talked about some of the friends that DS7 has out side of school and that he is "learning what it means to be a friend."
DH and I have not had a chance to discuss this yet.
I hope that DS7 does well on the SCAT.......... becaue then he might be able to just do math and english on the computer. I hate to say it.....
I wish she was more supportive.
I also have a dirty house....lol
