Thanks
I love reading Corey's annual Thanksgiving post. I always think I should do one and then forget.
One thing I know is that I am thankful that the pies I made last night turned out beautifully. These may be the most perfect-looking pies I have ever created.
I specifically came on to post about something I unearthed while cleaning the house for dinner tonight. A box of old school work from my siblings and myself was tempting, but I steeled myself from digging through it. I could not, however, resist a photocopied packet sitting right on top, with the name "Sarah Shay" clearly visible on the top.
Looking closer, I realized it was from my middle school years at Olympus Northwest. Did you know I went to an "alternative school"? I was a difficult child in grade school (peanut gallery: "you're still a difficult child!"), and my parents thought the setting at "Oly" would be better for me. We got to choose our own classes, we got credits instead of grades, and we called out teachers by their first names.
Even at an alternative school I was still a difficulty. I had what was called an "Individualized Education Program," which I remember very little about. The papers I unearthed were evidently the results of some assessment tests I took for the program. I found the "Present level of education" results quite fascinating.
Academic assessment on the Woodcock-Johnson test given 6/95 show the following scores:
1995 means I was in the 8th grade. Keep that in mind.
Math calculation: 5.9 grade level
Ouch. Yeah, I have always been terrible with math. My parents got me a tutor after this, who helped bring me up to the right grade level. Her name was Cindy and I thought she was awesome. She gave me stickers.
Dictation (spelling and word usage): 6.0 grade level
This surprised me. I've always thought I had good spelling and a high vocabulary for my age. Read on...
Broad written language: 11.0 grade level
Holy crap. There's no details as to what this really refers to, but junior level writing in 8th grade? I never realized.
Writing samples (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure): 16.9 grade level
16.9. That's higher than a college graduate. This completely blew my mind. I showed it to my dad and he said, "Yeah, your writing skills were always off the charts." Why did it take me until college to realize I wanted to be a writer? This really boggles my mind.
I'm sure I was told this in middle school, I recall being told my math skills were at a 5th grade level. If I was told that I was writing at a college level, why didn't that give me more confidence in my writing? I always liked writing, but I thought I wasn't good enough. This is some food for thought.
Speaking of food, I gots gravy to make. Huzzah!
One thing I know is that I am thankful that the pies I made last night turned out beautifully. These may be the most perfect-looking pies I have ever created.
I specifically came on to post about something I unearthed while cleaning the house for dinner tonight. A box of old school work from my siblings and myself was tempting, but I steeled myself from digging through it. I could not, however, resist a photocopied packet sitting right on top, with the name "Sarah Shay" clearly visible on the top.
Looking closer, I realized it was from my middle school years at Olympus Northwest. Did you know I went to an "alternative school"? I was a difficult child in grade school (peanut gallery: "you're still a difficult child!"), and my parents thought the setting at "Oly" would be better for me. We got to choose our own classes, we got credits instead of grades, and we called out teachers by their first names.
Even at an alternative school I was still a difficulty. I had what was called an "Individualized Education Program," which I remember very little about. The papers I unearthed were evidently the results of some assessment tests I took for the program. I found the "Present level of education" results quite fascinating.
Academic assessment on the Woodcock-Johnson test given 6/95 show the following scores:
1995 means I was in the 8th grade. Keep that in mind.
Math calculation: 5.9 grade level
Ouch. Yeah, I have always been terrible with math. My parents got me a tutor after this, who helped bring me up to the right grade level. Her name was Cindy and I thought she was awesome. She gave me stickers.
Dictation (spelling and word usage): 6.0 grade level
This surprised me. I've always thought I had good spelling and a high vocabulary for my age. Read on...
Broad written language: 11.0 grade level
Holy crap. There's no details as to what this really refers to, but junior level writing in 8th grade? I never realized.
Writing samples (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure): 16.9 grade level
16.9. That's higher than a college graduate. This completely blew my mind. I showed it to my dad and he said, "Yeah, your writing skills were always off the charts." Why did it take me until college to realize I wanted to be a writer? This really boggles my mind.
I'm sure I was told this in middle school, I recall being told my math skills were at a 5th grade level. If I was told that I was writing at a college level, why didn't that give me more confidence in my writing? I always liked writing, but I thought I wasn't good enough. This is some food for thought.
Speaking of food, I gots gravy to make. Huzzah!