teaching the whole child
So here's the skinny:
The God-King and I met with the Kinglet's first-grade teacher and his gifted teacher* last week.
(*I should say that both of these are caring women who are supportive of the Kinglet. They have been open to talking with me, and forthright in their impressions. In spite of my emotional blogging on the topic, I do like them and appreciate that the Kinglet has them in his corner. But...?)
The Kinglet is still welcome in the gifted program. So that is a relief. The thing is, for kids in 1st and 2nd grade, the gifted program is more like an extra-curricular club; they play educational games, learn thinking strategies, and so on. It does not replace their regular math and reading classes, as I first thought. There's no structure to it, no grades, and no progress reports to the parents. There's no accelerated learning.
To put this in perspective: when we stopped homeschooling, the Kinglet was independently solving multiplication problems, and getting ready for division. The most recent worksheet that he brought home was adding single digit numbers: 2 + 2 = 4. While it may be much easier on him, emotionally, it puts him at least two years behind what he's capable of. The story is similar across the board - reading, science, etc. I'm sure there are gaps I didn't cover when I was teaching him, and there are things he could do to go back over again, but generally speaking he's so far beyond the general curriculum that it's almost a joke.
When we decided to put the Kinglet back in school, we knew this was going to be an issue. We had planned to supplement his education at home, but in practice we realize that's not so easily done. Who wants to weigh a kid down with more school after school? At best, that would be a drag; at worst, it could make him hate us and hate school and open up all kinds of emotional drama. I don't want to do that to him.
I want him to get the education he deserves during school hours.
When I first met with the gifted teacher, I asked her if she could do something to accommodate his academic potential. We talked about giving him advanced work or having him meet with an older group for math and reading. She agreed to give him some testing and talk to the school principal about creative approaches to the Kinglet's education.
Last week she informed us that it's a no go. Because of his emotional and behavior problems, they feel the Kinglet is better off exactly where he is. Specifically, because the Kinglet shuts down or acts out when he is challenged, they do not want to challenge him. They hope that, with time and maturity, he will adjust to being in school and eventually catch up socially and emotionally to where he is academically.
This is a big issue, with valid arguments to be made on both sides. I don't completely disagree with what they are saying. On the other hand, I fear that they are backing down from educating my son because he has a disability. I feel like it shouldn't be a choice between developing his mind or his social development. Why can't they do both?
When I pressed the question, the gifted teacher informed me that there is no mandate in Delaware to teach gifted children. We're lucky that there's a gifted program at all, let alone one that includes first-graders, however loosely.
The more I look into the matter, the more them's shaping up to be Fighting Words. There's a lot of talk about teaching the individual child. There's a whole page on Delaware's Department of Education website about meeting the needs of gifted children - so why isn't it policy? Doesn't my child have a right to an education that meets his needs? If not, why not?
But the God-King and I are not on the same page with this. He feels that some extra-curricular learning is better than nothing. He feels that pressing the matter will only alienate us from the school and the teachers. And in terms of an IEP (which would involve officially acknowledging the Kinglet's disability and crafting a formal plan to accommodate his special needs), which I'm growing more and more convinced that we need, he has no faith at all that the school will follow through on their obligations.
So. For now, I'm gathering information, and biding time. In the end, we'll make the decision that's right for our family - but damn if this doesn't feel like a civil rights issue waiting to be fought.
Or maybe I'm just itching for a fight.
The God-King and I met with the Kinglet's first-grade teacher and his gifted teacher* last week.
(*I should say that both of these are caring women who are supportive of the Kinglet. They have been open to talking with me, and forthright in their impressions. In spite of my emotional blogging on the topic, I do like them and appreciate that the Kinglet has them in his corner. But...?)
The Kinglet is still welcome in the gifted program. So that is a relief. The thing is, for kids in 1st and 2nd grade, the gifted program is more like an extra-curricular club; they play educational games, learn thinking strategies, and so on. It does not replace their regular math and reading classes, as I first thought. There's no structure to it, no grades, and no progress reports to the parents. There's no accelerated learning.
To put this in perspective: when we stopped homeschooling, the Kinglet was independently solving multiplication problems, and getting ready for division. The most recent worksheet that he brought home was adding single digit numbers: 2 + 2 = 4. While it may be much easier on him, emotionally, it puts him at least two years behind what he's capable of. The story is similar across the board - reading, science, etc. I'm sure there are gaps I didn't cover when I was teaching him, and there are things he could do to go back over again, but generally speaking he's so far beyond the general curriculum that it's almost a joke.
When we decided to put the Kinglet back in school, we knew this was going to be an issue. We had planned to supplement his education at home, but in practice we realize that's not so easily done. Who wants to weigh a kid down with more school after school? At best, that would be a drag; at worst, it could make him hate us and hate school and open up all kinds of emotional drama. I don't want to do that to him.
I want him to get the education he deserves during school hours.
When I first met with the gifted teacher, I asked her if she could do something to accommodate his academic potential. We talked about giving him advanced work or having him meet with an older group for math and reading. She agreed to give him some testing and talk to the school principal about creative approaches to the Kinglet's education.
Last week she informed us that it's a no go. Because of his emotional and behavior problems, they feel the Kinglet is better off exactly where he is. Specifically, because the Kinglet shuts down or acts out when he is challenged, they do not want to challenge him. They hope that, with time and maturity, he will adjust to being in school and eventually catch up socially and emotionally to where he is academically.
This is a big issue, with valid arguments to be made on both sides. I don't completely disagree with what they are saying. On the other hand, I fear that they are backing down from educating my son because he has a disability. I feel like it shouldn't be a choice between developing his mind or his social development. Why can't they do both?
When I pressed the question, the gifted teacher informed me that there is no mandate in Delaware to teach gifted children. We're lucky that there's a gifted program at all, let alone one that includes first-graders, however loosely.
The more I look into the matter, the more them's shaping up to be Fighting Words. There's a lot of talk about teaching the individual child. There's a whole page on Delaware's Department of Education website about meeting the needs of gifted children - so why isn't it policy? Doesn't my child have a right to an education that meets his needs? If not, why not?
But the God-King and I are not on the same page with this. He feels that some extra-curricular learning is better than nothing. He feels that pressing the matter will only alienate us from the school and the teachers. And in terms of an IEP (which would involve officially acknowledging the Kinglet's disability and crafting a formal plan to accommodate his special needs), which I'm growing more and more convinced that we need, he has no faith at all that the school will follow through on their obligations.
So. For now, I'm gathering information, and biding time. In the end, we'll make the decision that's right for our family - but damn if this doesn't feel like a civil rights issue waiting to be fought.
Or maybe I'm just itching for a fight.