Teachers know best???

There are times when parents simply cannot contain themselves. Recently HRH and I had the pleasure of experiencing such immense pride that I truly felt I could burst. Allow me to waffle….

In 2007 we were called into Sam’s Grade 2 Teacher’s office for “a meeting”. She has an Honours degree in teaching so clearly she must know what she’s talking about, right??? Anyway, she said that sam was a dreamer and battled to focus in class and although he’s a bright little boy (duh) he really ought to have an Educational Assessment as she thinks he may be a little ADHD! HRH & I despise labels, ESPECIALLY negative ones towards our offspring. So as all parents do, we lug Sam off to a wonderful Educational Psychologist for his assessment.

Now the bragging starts…. At age 8 (well 2 day’s before his 8th birthday) Sam had a mathematical mind equivalent to that of a 14 year old. His chart was off the wall!!! His lowest score (on the graph thingie) was just above average. All the rest were teetering between way above average and top 2 percentile. So… does this mean he’s ADHD? NO!!!! It mean’s the kid understands his concepts very quickly and bores extremely easily. (HRH mentioned this to his teacher who politely scoffed). Next thing Sam is invited to join the “Discovery Club” which is by invitation only and for very select few in the Junior Primary.

Then at the beginning of the fourth term last year HRH were called in again, (oh crap, now what). New plan… The school is going to try a new type of academic learning from 2009 called the LEAP Unit, which is for a group of 15 very gifted children ranging from Grade 4 to Grade 6 (see www.theleapspot.org.za/node/3 for more information). The kids have to still to do the government regulatory curriculum, write all the same tests etc but then they also do a whole lot of “extra stuff”. Right, so now HRH & I are interviewed and informed that Sam’s amongst the Top 45 of (not just Hillcrest Primary) but all the schools in the surrounding area. WOW!!!! Sadly, came crunch time, he didn’t make it. Fortunately Sam’s quite a happy-go-lucky boy so he wasn’t too fazed.

Three weeks ago, written in red writing in Sam’s homework notebook is a letter to HRH & I asking that we meet with his class teacher. Poor Sam was dragged over the coals. I kept questioning him as to why she wanted to see us!!! Big day arrives and it’s to inform us that a place has become available in the LEAP Unit and Sam is first on the waiting list, are we interested??? Does a one legged duck swim in circles??? Of course we’re interested!!! Next step… meet with the principal who wasn’t available until last week Wednesday (19/08/09) So meeting day finally arrived and Sam (who was off sick with Tonsilitis) was accepted into LEAP. Tuesday morning he was called into the principal’s office where she congratulated him and then taken to his new class. Since then (all 4 days) he’s just flourished. He’s smiling all the time, can’t stop talking and the questions!!!! Oh my word, I feel so intellectually inadequate and this is just the beginning!!!

Round two…. I get a note in Sydney’s homework notebook that her teacher would like to meet with us. So off HRH and I go and what do we hear…. Madam has a concentration problem, is such a dreamer, can’t focus etc. (I hear a subtle label in there). Dear sweet teacher has recommended… an Educational Assessment! Oh my shattered nerves. Well, I’ve booked it for next week and let’s see.

Can’t wait for next year when little Sebastian starts Grade R! Dare I tell them he can already read, count to 10 and knows the days of the week in not only English, but Afrikaans and Zulu???

Other than that, work is going well. I’m loving my job, everyone is very friendly and sweet. We went to the Barnyard theatre on Wednesday night and watched LM radio which is from the early ‘70’s. Music was AWESOME, mood was festive and everyone partied long and hard. I really had a great time.

On the up side… I’ve lost 2.6kg’s this week. Just haven’t felt like eating so haven’t!!! Jane, Heather and I are doing a 5k fun-run on Sunday so looking forward to that. Oh… we never did the Spar Ladies 10k purely on the grounds of WAAAAAY too many people. We did, however, do the Forest Hills 10k, which we thoroughly enjoyed. I did it in around 1 ½ hours which is quite fine for me for now. Will challenge it next year.

Right… I think that’s sufficient for now. Thanks for reading through all my garb. The best thing about this time of year is walking outside in the morning and you get that sweet scent of Jasmine. Nothing compares.

I was hoping end off with some great lyric but all that comes to mind is something from Pink Floyd, “How, how I wish you were here. We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish-bowl, year after year” Profound? Me thinks not!