So it would appear that the Kid is “gifted”, in some form or fashion. We’ll need to do more testing to see if he fits the state definition. People who know the Kid are saying “Well, duh.” I’ve always known he’s very smart and above his age level academically, but I never really pushed the idea of slapping him with a label until he started school. Now I know the good a label can do.

The Kid has been having trouble at school. Basically, he has a monthly behavior calendar and every day he’s supposed to earn a stamp. The teacher had this card system where after a couple of warnings, he’d have to pull a colored card (green, orange and red). Once he got to red, he wouldn’t get a stamp and instead we’d see a code telling us what he’d done wrong (not listening, not following directions, etc). We tried everything that doesn’t constitute child abuse to try to get him to do what the teacher wanted at school. When he came home without a stamp, we took away TV, we took away computer use, we took away outside play, then we took away all of the above. We tried bribery. He still came home without a stamp.

The behavior didn’t improve and the Kid started complaining of tummy aches when it was time to go to school. I don’t want my kid to hate school when he’s only in Kindergarten! Then Hubby went up to school one day to help with the Fall Party for the class. He got to see the Kid’s behavior compared with the other kids and saw that the Kid’s behavior is not bad. There were other kids throwing furniture that had to be restrained. There were other kids with much worse and more uncontrollable behavior. The Kid is just annoying. He likes to talk and if he can’t talk, then he wants to hum or make some other repetitive noise. He’s a perfectionist and has no problem with correcting an adult or pointing out to the teacher that another student is doing something wrong. He’s easily frustrated, overly excitable and very emotional.

We’ve tried talking to the teacher about challenging him more and her answer is having him get 1st grade books from the school library and having him work on some reading comprehension with 4th graders. That’s great, but that only happens a small fraction of the day. He still comes home with worksheets on identifying letters and small sight words. At home he reads “Captain Underpants” and other chapter books. He’s a little beyond learning his ABCs. So I called the principal to ask what his options are. Basically, they don’t skip grades in our district. The teacher is expected to provide an education at that child’s level, no matter the level. That’s all well and good, but with 20 some students, is she really going to personalize the lesson for each child? That’s a ridiculous expectation. Especially in this age of No Child Left Behind, where we dumb everything down for the lowest common denominator so schools can pass standardized tests.

So I did a little hunting on the district website and found the phone number for the district director of the gifted program. We played a little phone tag, but she lead me to the teacher for the gifted class in our area. It was amazing to talk to her. She didn’t make me feel like “Oh here’s another parent who thinks her little crotchfruit is the next Einstein”. She knew just what we were experiencing and was very helpful. She told us about his test scores on a test we didn’t even know he had taken! The NNAT is apparently a first step in identifying gifted children. The Kid scored in the 99th percentile for 5 year olds. That means he scored better than 99% of kids his age. The gifted program teacher is sending us the paperwork for further testing, but she said that based on that score, it’s pretty much a guarantee that he’ll be invited into the gifted program. And the Kid’s regular Kindergarten teacher didn’t even bother to tell us about the test or the scores.

Which is why Hubby and I are meeting with the regular teacher, the principal and the gifted program teacher Wednesday to discuss our options. I don’t really care about the label of “gifted”. They could call him “not entirely stupid kid” for all I care as along as he gets the education he deserves. I want someone who understands his needs and is willing to make the most of his inquisitive little mind. The gifted program teacher UNDERSTOOD and wanted to be an advocate for the Kid. That’s the teacher he needs.

We went to an adults only Halloween party with hubby’s playgroup on Saturday night. It was very fun and they had some great costumes. My favorite (of course) was Bella and Edward from the 4th book with the baby eating its way out of her stomach. Very cool.

Boo woke up yesterday with a fever of 101.1. He was fussy at first, but once the Tylenol kicked in, he was fine all day. We hit the meds again later when his temp popped up to 100, but he was fine running around Suson Park, petting the animals and feeding the ducks (I know we’re not supposed to!) all morning.

I think hubby thought I was somehow rigging the thermometer to get out of going to Six Flags with him today. However, although riding a roller coaster is not my idea of fun, I was actually looking forward to a date with my man. Oh well, better luck next time.

G.I. Kid:

and Count Cutie: