Sometimes the Apple DOES Fall Far From the Tree. . .

Generally speaking, I frown on boasting.

However, there are some personal exceptions, especially when it comes to my own kids.

Especially when I have confirmation that they are super-smart.

Especially since I have this blog to get the word out, because I wouldn't normally just go up to people and tell them . . .

Especially since we are parents of barely average intelligence (I am only speaking for myself! Husband is very intelligent, wise, and full of common sense)

I know ya'll can understand where I am coming from. . .


Yesterday I went to meet with Noelle's new S.T.R.I.V.E. instructor. We had been notified several weeks prior of her acceptance to the program, which is our school district's Gifted and Talented program.

The name is an acronym for:

Strenghtening
Talents,
Reasoning, and
Intellect through
Varied
Experiences.

We talked a little bit about how the program works, its goals for the children, and how they will be taught learn more effectively, and also do projects, puzzles, and other have experiences that will help them figure out what they want to do with their life . . .

Another thing we talked about was how she was picked to be in the program. It requires that she be nominated by 3 people, including teachers, parents, school counselors, and administrators. She also had to be tested and found in the 98th percentile or higher, in individual intelligence measures, achievement tests, and creativity assessments.

(Here is where the real boasting begins)

She easily qualified. She scored a 99.6 in Math and 99.8 in Language. That, with her combined scores in the other areas, put her at an average of 99+ percentile. (You statistics gurus know that there is no such thing as 100th percentile - I learned that only yesterday!).

We have always known she was very special. This is a kid who spoke her first word (hello) at just over 2 months old, and kept adding words and then sentences from there.


We didn't feel the need to send her to preschool because she had always been such a quick learner, and so when she started kindergarten, (as a brand-new 5 year old; her birthday is Aug 30) she didn't know ALL of her shapes and ALL of her numbers and the sounds of ALL of her letters (she knew most of them, trust me, and isn't that what they're supposed to learn in kindergarten, anyway?).

So, they put her in the Title One program! A great program, don't misunderstand me here, but I couldn't understand why she was there. . . but by the end of the semester, she was acting as a teacher's helper. I let her continue in the program because the teacher said she was so effective with the other kids, and it wasn't hindering her other classwork.

I feel we have been given a great gift, and an awesome responsibility to give her the opportunities to make the most of herself. . .

advice, anyone??

I would love some!