"Hey Mom, I LIKE Gifted School!"

by Kristyn Crow | More from this Blogger

27 Nov 2007 06:13 PM

My eight-year-old son has embarked on his new journey into the gifted "spectrum" program in our school district. At first, he was very reluctant. He has several good friends who live within walking distance of our home who he liked to play with at school. Leaving those buddies behind was a little hard to face. "I don't think I want to go to gifted school," he said. Several readers urged me to have him attend anyway, because of the marvelous educational opportunity he had been given. Finally, somewhat hesitantly, he determined to give it a try.

One drawback has been transporting him to and from a school which is quite a bit farther from our home. (In our district, they don't bus the gifted kids.) This is especially tricky when I have another child attending our local elementary which starts at exactly the same time. Fortunately we have great neighbors who agreed to drive my daughter to school each day so that I could make the longer trip with my son. It still presents a problem during parent teacher conferences and other events which tend to be scheduled on the same evening. Try as I might, I can't be in two places at once.

So what is the difference, thus far, between a "gifted" or spectrum program and a typical elementary school class? My son has more homework, and more accountability for it. Assignments are tracked with an elaborate money system, where the children earn pretend "dollars" for tasks completed, and lose them for incompletes. At certain points in the school year, they are able to purchase items with money earned. Obviously the more "money" the child has earned, the more items (or better ones) available to purchase. Also, the curriculum is more challenging. These third graders must have their times tables entirely memorized prior to beginning the program. They work on math at an accelerated pace. Currently, my son is learning tidbits of Japanese, Spanish, and French. The class reads and writes at a level several grades higher than their own. Parents of children in the spectrum program are expected to give at least two hours of weekly volunteer service.

Am I glad my son made the switch? Yes. At first I was concerned about the work load, but as time has passed I've noticed a change in him. The rigorous, varied curriculum is more stimulating, and he seems eager to do his work without being asked. He excitedly talks about current class projects and is motivated to be responsible. Last year, he seemed to be forgetful, bored, and needed continual prodding to stay on task. He was unchallenged. Today he is a self-starter, and looks forward to his school experiences.

Kristyn Crow is the author of this blog. Visit her website by clicking here. Some links on this blog may have been generated by outside sources are not necessarily endorsed by Kristyn Crow.

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Learn more about Kristyn Crow

Kristyn Crow is the mother of seven children, and the author of three children's books. Visit her website at www.kristyncrow.com.

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mcmama (51978) 27 Nov 2007 06:59 PM

One of the interesting things about gifted kids is that they need the company of their peers, other gifted students. While this flies in the face of conventional wisdom of mainstreaming, it's a critical need that is often overlooked.

Kristyn Crow (2546) 27 Nov 2007 10:56 PM

I think you're absolutely right. These kids really do intellectually stimulate and motivate one another. It's been interesting to observe the class and watch how this works. Unfortunately, it's tough trying to promote socializing outside of school, since they live so far apart.

Valorie Delp (49340) 28 Nov 2007 03:16 AM

That has been one of our bigger challenges. . .to find good socialization opportunities for our son wtih like minded kids. I think in some respects it's more challenging being homeschoolers because until he "proves" himself, I don't have an 'official diagnosis' (other than my pedi). But he has had no problems getting him into things that I want him into thus far. And you're right. . .the accelerated pace seems to motivate these kids whereas the regular pace seems to slow them down.