Big help needed....

[Proeliator]

Your prayers please. My 6 yr old son last year in kindergarten tested out to be place in the gifted program, but they said his behavior issues would keep him out of there. This year they changed his class 1 week in, saying that it was to level out the classes. Today I find out from his current teacher he was moved out of the gifted class, for behavior problems. Mainly, being fidgety and speaking out of turn. From what she said, these problems are what she is working on with him now as well in her class. Last year he was diagnosed as ADD, and the school was told; so they know that he will most likely be like that, but if he is kept busy, he concentrates well and works on the task at hand.

Monday we have an appointment to go and deal with the school regarding his being dropped down, and to fight for him to be placed back in the gifted classes, where he belongs. He reads almost as well as his 3rd grade sister already, and can name almost every dinosaur ever put in a book. We have been working so hard with him to keep him learning, and now they try to shove him back down. I ask for your prayers, as I am not the most patient man when it comes to my boy being treated right. I ask you to pray that I stay calm and collected during our meeting so that things can be handled in an amicable situation.

 

[Adammi]

I pray for you son's succes, but would also tell you that gifted programs (or at least gifted programs in my area) are not nearly what they are cracked up to be.
I'm sure your son will learn and mature fine in whichever class.

 

[BBAS 64]

ing

For you and your son..

 

[Elderone]

This may not be news to you, but do not let them give your son Ritalin for the supposed ADD. It will be in his medical record, and if what I heard is correct, he will not be eligable for the military and possibly many other types of employment, because of being a drug addict.

I have also heard that ADD and ADHD are not REAL medical problems but that children and adults who have short attention spans and aren't kept busy, are labeled as such so they can be given drugs to calm them down. This is used primarily by the schools on children (it makes the teachers job easier) and, supposidly, the schools get a kick back of so much per dose that they give out. Not a nice situation at all, but I can't say I'm surprised given the other lunacy the teachers unions have forced on the public, but more correctly called "the government", school system.

People have said they were treated very badly in these types of meetings, looked down upon by the school people, because they weren't "educators", and of course the school people were and knew what was best.

Good luck and you will have my prayers also.

 

[bradfordl]

Best advice I can give you is forego that newer car or house and let your wife stay home and homeschool your son, and your daughter. Why would you surrender your little babes to the pagan gov't school system to be not educated but indoctrinated in the secular humanist religion in the first place? And to be diagnosed by wholly unqualified pagan "teachers" as having some invented condition that they can drug him for so they have a class full of complacent indoctrinaires?

Gov't schools have been a scam from the start, robed in a "christian" veneer to entice the masses to buy in. Then as time went by, the paradigm shifted away from any christain influence into what was intended from the start; take children away from their less wise parents for as much of the day as possible and program them with the state religion and theories that deny the value of human life, so that they would accept life as drones graded and stamped out for the "betterment" of godless society.

 

[Adammi]

Best advice I can give you is forego that newer car or house and let your wife stay home and homeschool your son, and your daughter. Why would you surrender your little babes to the pagan gov't school system to be not educated but indoctrinated in the secular humanist religion in the first place? And to be diagnosed by wholly unqualified pagan "teachers" as having some invented condition that they can drug him for so they have a class full of complacent indoctrinaires?

Gov't schools have been a scam from the start, robed in a "christian" veneer to entice the masses to buy in. Then as time went by, the paradigm shifted away from any christain influence into what was intended from the start; take children away from their less wise parents for as much of the day as possible and program them with the state religion and theories that deny the value of human life, so that they would accept life as drones graded and stamped out for the "betterment" of godless society.

I know you didn't mention Christian schools, but many parents prompt for them out of genuine concern, but I think that "Christian schools" are a lot closer to paganism than public schools.

 

[arunma]

Also praying for you and your son.

 

[Elderone]

I agree with Bradford. If you can possibly do it, and no doubt it is tough physically, emotionally, and quite possibly economically, home schooling is the best answer.

The home schoolers also have a very large support structure you can tap into for most everything.

 

[calmcoolandelected]

Your prayers please. My 6 yr old son last year in kindergarten tested out to be place in the gifted program, but they said his behavior issues would keep him out of there. This year they changed his class 1 week in, saying that it was to level out the classes. Today I find out from his current teacher he was moved out of the gifted class, for behavior problems. Mainly, being fidgety and speaking out of turn. From what she said, these problems are what she is working on with him now as well in her class. Last year he was diagnosed as ADD, and the school was told; so they know that he will most likely be like that, but if he is kept busy, he concentrates well and works on the task at hand.

Monday we have an appointment to go and deal with the school regarding his being dropped down, and to fight for him to be placed back in the gifted classes, where he belongs. He reads almost as well as his 3rd grade sister already, and can name almost every dinosaur ever put in a book. We have been working so hard with him to keep him learning, and now they try to shove him back down. I ask for your prayers, as I am not the most patient man when it comes to my boy being treated right. I ask you to pray that I stay calm and collected during our meeting so that things can be handled in an amicable situation.

Shadrach,

Praying here for your family and this situation. I'm in agreement that ADD, etc. is over-diagnosed. I would try any avenue (change in diet, schedule, etc.) before I tried medicine. However, take that with a grain of salt. You know your child best and I know that you will make your decision with much prayer, consultation with doctor (more than one if necessary) and your wife.

As for your school situation, be firm if you believe that your son is better served in the gifted class. There are so many options available when it comes to education, again, you know what is best for your family and I trust you will ask for God's guidance. Sometimes it is a matter of maturity -- boys are wigglers! It is their nature ! Had my son been in school when he was younger he would have been diagnosed with ADHD too.

Let us know how things go!
CC&E

 

[heymikey80]

Your prayers please.

Will do.

Last year he was diagnosed as ADD, and the school was told; so they know that he will most likely be like that, but if he is kept busy, he concentrates well and works on the task at hand.

Ummm. You're aware this is among the most misdiagnosed disorders among children.

I've worked with ADD kids, I know firsthand what they're like. Unfortunately, your description does not bear out the condition I'm familiar with as a volunteer youth worker for a few dozen kids over 20 years.

He reads almost as well as his 3rd grade sister already, and can name almost every dinosaur ever put in a book. We have been working so hard with him to keep him learning, and now they try to shove him back down.

This is not normal for an ADD kid, no matter how gifted. One of my ADD kids rated an IQ170. He could read early, but he couldn't read through books like a 3d grader. He couldn't concentrate well enough to do books.

I must suggest this, because in most misdiagnoses I've encountered gifted kids have been diagnosed as ADD because they're disruptive in class.

It could be your child is supremely bored. High-intelligence kids outthink their counterparts, and race by the teacher's attempts to control their behavior. This isn't ADD. There's no deficit in attention(!): the kid can see exactly what the teacher is trying to do, and thinks -- clearly -- ahead of this to what he's going to do. He just doesn't see the point, and he'll be bored to tears.

For what it's worth, here's a sample of someone with a similar story. I was reading 3d-grade level books by the start of 1st grade, too. I jumped to 6th grade reading materials that year; I'm an avid reader. I'm no super genius, either.

My parents and teachers offered something quite different to me in kindergarten. They taught me that speaking in turns was important, that other people had good ideas and I wasn't competing with them. And they let me open my own books and read through boring parts of class that I already knew. (It wasn't left up to me which class, btw. Some classes (like spelling) I was not good at, and was required to close my beloved books, too. In cases where I was far advanced (like science) I was required to bring outside reading in science -- an easy thing to do.)

When they stopped doing that in second grade, I learned nada (I was tested each year: my math scores were flat, and my reading level advanced, though more slowly). I was disruptive in class. We in the back row ran our own little subclass with hand signals and play time. I sat there and lobbed questions the teachers weren't prepared to answer. I hid my "outside" reading or my teachers would send me to the principal. I learned to become subversive that year.

If your kid is truly ADD, this same thing can still happen to him. You can't suppress this without redirecting him to something that occupies his attention. In three cases I've known, one ADHD, the other two ADD, the kids developed ODD -- oppositional-defiant. This is not a good path to go down. In one remaining (ADHD) case the kid is having trouble in school (well, not doing the A work he can do), but is concentrating heavily on his work as well as his friendships; and that's actually working.

The whole development period is critical. Kids build the facilities to interpret what's happening to them socially as well as scholastically. (This is not an argument against homeschooling, btw. Exceptional kids I've known in homeschooling environs normally learn better, and are better matured socially.)

An advanced intellect often means the kid has to use that intellect to make up for gaps in his natural social development. I would highly recommend the Larger Catechism 125-133. When I finally smacked into this after college, I thought, "Man, so this is why my friendships are so messed up." I learned bits of it from kindergarten on, but never realized it was designed to make lifelong friendships (cf 133). I thought it was just to "be nice".

 

[bradfordl]

The whole development period is critical. Kids build the facilities to interpret what's happening to them socially as well as scholastically. (This is not an argument against homeschooling, btw. Exceptional kids I've known in homeschooling environs normally learn better, and are better matured socially.)

We have found with homeschooling our kids are able to socially interact well with others of all age groups, both children and adults, in comparison to our public and private schooled friends' kids. My son is in Cub Scouts, and his peers there seem to have difficulty relating to both younger and older kids well, and are usually intimidated by adults. My son has older and younger sibs, friends from Church, friends from HS coop, and family of all ages, and seems at ease with them all, as do my daughters.

All my kids (4) test out at least 2 grade levels above their public school peers, and as much as 6 levels above in some subjects. They can move as fast or slow as needed. I'm a high school drop out with a GED, and my wife is a HS graduate. I don't think my kids are geniuses, just have the opportunity to learn at their own pace and have more concentrated attention given to their needs. A good curriculum is very important.

 

[edie19]

If I had it to do over again I'd likely do some sort of home schooling - at least for the elementary grades. I was very, very happy with the high school education both of my children received (we did pay tuition for those educations).

Not that I've researched home schooling a lot - I'm way past that now - but I do pay attention to the trend. Not to advertise for anyone, but I've heard wonderful things about K12 homeschool curriculum. It's the web-based home school program that Bill Bennett helped start. I know some schools in my area incorporate their curriculum into their classrooms.

If anyone is interested: http://www.k12.com

edie

 

[heymikey80]

Yes, from the kids I'm in contact with (again, I'm not a parent, a youth worker) most of them do extremely well in homeschooling, as long as the home environment is stable, well-focused and not in constant turmoil.

I don't know that much about curriculum, but that could account for the couple of kids I know (among over a dozen) who didn't do that well, homeschooled.

I'm constantly impressed by the superior social skills of homeschooled kids, gifted or not.

 

[calmcoolandelected]

If I had it to do over again I'd likely do some sort of home schooling - at least for the elementary grades. I was very, very happy with the high school education both of my children received (we did pay tuition for those educations).

Not that I've researched home schooling a lot - I'm way past that now - but I do pay attention to the trend. Not to advertise for anyone, but I've heard wonderful things about K12 homeschool curriculum. It's the web-based home school program that Bill Bennett helped start. I know some schools in my area incorporate their curriculum into their classrooms.

If anyone is interested: http://www.k12.com

edie

Edie,

I've heard good things about K12. We homeschooled our children from the get-go. It has not always been easy but I have never regretted one minute of it. When our son (now 16) was high school aged, we put him in a Classical, Christian school in our town. He is thriving there! We plan to put our daughter in the same school next year when she enters high school. Not all Christian/private schools are equal. Some are just like public school, esp. in the "socialization" department. We've been blessed beyond belief in regards to our children's education, both at home and at school.

CC&E

 

[calmcoolandelected]

Yes, from the kids I'm in contact with (again, I'm not a parent, a youth worker) most of them do extremely well in homeschooling, as long as the home environment is stable, well-focused and not in constant turmoil.

I don't know that much about curriculum, but that could account for the couple of kids I know (among over a dozen) who didn't do that well, homeschooled.

I'm constantly impressed by the superior social skills of homeschooled kids, gifted or not.

Here's something I would always scratch my head over:

We would be out somewhere (family gatherings, with friends, at Taekwondo or ballet) and my children would interact with all age groups. The adults would tell me how well-adjusted my children were, how articulate, how they were so kind and patient with the children younger than them, how they seemed to be comfortable around adults, etc. They would ask where they went to school and when I told them that they were homeschooled, almost every single time they would ask, "aren't you concerned about their SOCIALIZATION?".


CC&E