Great, so you know what the program is aiming for (Top 1% without any 2E, very verbal lots of written output)
Is this 1% a numberical 1% (District has 1000 students, 10 are in the program) or a 1% as in: we gave a test with national norms, and kids who scored over the 1% norm are in the program?
The next step is to look at your kid and guess what they might be: Sometime kids who are closer to top 0.1% do fine in homework heavy gifted programs because they do it all in school and have almost now homework, and the social interaction is great.
Other kids who are closer to the top 1.0% really hate those programs and find them to be 'more of the same.'
Sometimes the teachers in those programs think 'They are in the gifted program, so what else do they want' and other teachers see levels of giftedness even within the program and accomidate that.
I love that you are seeing yourself as an opportunity maker for the social interactions. At some point it's the spin of the wheel and that 'perfect friend' moves in next door. But do understand that it would be really unsual for a 'true friend of the heart' to be availible to a gifted 7 year old amoung age mates. Not to say that lovely and important good times can't be had on the playground with agemates, but finding that one true friend to share one's heart with might take some time.
It was a bittersweet moment when DS, around age 8, looked up at me after on of those long meandering deep conversations, and said: 'I'm so lucky to have you to have these talks with, I'd go nuts if I couldn't ever talk like this.' As they get older, there are much more opportunities, but for a little while, it is ok for Mom or Dad to provide a few of the functions of BFFs. Of course after I got done being touched at his expression of gratitude, I realized that I felt much the same, and that it was time for me to clean up my act and get out and find more peer gifted friends so that I would be able to be availible for, but not dependent on, my son. I had internalized the school's message that I 'didn't need anything special' to such a degree that I had forgotten to prioritize my own need for deep conversations. Opps!
So Blob,
Now I'm confused. Are you going to take the 6 months? Is the offer of gifted-teacher supervision start right now, or after the 6 months? Awesome that they are offering something!
Smiles,
Grinity
