Musings Archives - Page 8 of 14

The Big Things from 2014

December 30, 2014 · Leave a Comment

The past year has been one life event after another. New job, new town, new school.

Whew.

Moving is a pain and it’s usually the small stuff that drives you crazy. Not knowing how the grocery store is laid out makes that 5 minute shopping trip into a 20 minutes. Trying to find a new hair salon can lead to tears and ball caps. Neither is a good look for me.

Like everyone else, I’ve spent some time this week reflecting on 2014 and here’s a quick rundown on some of the BIG things I’ve learned.

Want to know who your real friends are? They’re the ones who will drop everything to get you moved before the Polar Vortex freezes the door to the U-Haul shut. No, these may not be the friends you have lunch with each week or even each month. But these are the friends who recognize the sound of desperation in your voice in the first 10 seconds of the call. These are the friends who are in for the long haul. (see what I did there?)

Kids really are resilient. Starting a new school is tough. Making new friends is tough. But kids, for the most part, handle it better than us. Or maybe just me. Always amazed at how my daughter seems to take changes and simply incorporate them into her new normal.

When the parents are fulfilled with their day job family life is like a dream. Work related stress levels dropped this year and our family is the better for it. Way. Way. Better.

Live in your new city like a tourist. Shopping malls are pretty much the same everywhere so get out and explore the neighborhoods, parks local eateries. Some of our best days have been spent doing this. Be forewarned that this can lead to moments of “D’oh! Why didn’t we move to this neighborhood?”

Not all school districts and schools are alike. And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that all gifted programs aren’t all alike. Do your homework, talk to everyone, visit schools, and compare scores. Be prepared for it to still not to work out. I think 2015 may be a bumpy ride. Bring it on!

Still searching for a miracle worker (hair dresser). Maybe next year.

Filed Under: Musings Tagged: Moving, school, work

Thankful for New Friends

November 27, 2013 · 3 Comments

We’re moving to a new town next month so you can imagine what life is like right now for us. Boxes and bubble wrap. It’s a mess but we’ve been truly blessed with new opportunities.

Our new town is about three hours away and we don’t know a soul there. Well, until just a couple of weeks ago that is. Now we know Maddie.

My daughter had a Friday off from school so we took the opportunity to visit her new school, turn in all the registration paperwork and hopefully meet her new teacher and classmates. It was a spur of the moment decision to drive up there instead of mailing everything but we thought we might luck out and get to meet some folks.

We were lucky and met her teacher who couldn’t have been kinder or more generous with her time considering we showed up practically unannounced. My daughter’s future classmates were excited she was a girl since there are currently twelve boys and only seven girls in the class. That’s right – only twenty students in the class. This should make for an interesting dynamic.

Fast forward to later that evening while making the obligatory trip to Walmart to purchase groceries and a new Blu-ray player. Because when you move it seems you spend most of your time at either Walmart or Home Depot. While I was trying to decide between Blu-ray and Apple TV I felt a little person poke me in the arm. “Are you the lady that’s moving to our school with a daughter?” Insert shocked look here.

This is how we met Maddie. She remembered us from our five minute visit to her classroom earlier that day and wanted to tell us she can’t wait for mini-me to start in January. She was shopping with her grandmother for Christmas presents in the video games section and happened to see us. It took everything I had not to try and schedule six months of play dates right then and there.

I can’t tell you how thankful I am to know that my daughter is going to land in a classroom with someone like Maddie. I know she’s not the one other girl in the class that’s in the gifted program and I can only hope that she’s harboring a Minecraft addiction but honestly – I don’t care. She’s nice. She remembered us. She’s excited to be friends with my daughter. I think I love her.

Moving is never easy on anyone but at least my husband and I have done it before and know we’ll make friends in our new hometown. Trying to convince my daughter of that has been tough and that’s an understatement.

Maddie gave her (and me) a glimmer of hope that all will be better than just ok. And to think it happened in electronics department at Walmart.

This Thanksgiving I give thanks for Maddie.

Filed Under: Musings Tagged: friends, Moving

What You Need to Know About Above-Level Testing

November 20, 2013 · 6 Comments

When we first considered advocating for a grade acceleration for our daughter we came up with the brilliant idea of having her take the end of year assessment for the skipped grade to prove she already knew the material. Little did I know that we weren’t the first ones to think of this tactic and it has a name – above-level testing.

Above-level tests are commonly used in talent searches and as screening tests to identify students for gifted programs. Getting high scores is commonplace for gifted students and most tests don’t adequately measure what they could achieve if the test were more difficult. This is the ceiling effect – student test scores clustered at the upper end of the test because it wasn’t sufficiently challenging. This is the concept you explain to other moms who don’t understand why your child getting straight A’s isn’t good enough for you. All those A’s don’t mean that your student is being challenged and stretched.

When advocating for your child to be challenged appropriately in school, being armed with this information can be helpful. The above-level testing scores give educators an indication of the student’s actual achievement level. This can help determine where the student’s strengths and weaknesses may be. Remember, these kids tend to have asynchronous development. Just because they’re ready for calculus doesn’t mean they can put a sentence together.

Knowing a student’s strengths is obviously important but knowing where any gaps in knowledge may lie is equally essential. Understanding both of these information points can be influential in determining if a student should be grade or subject accelerated. Being armed with cold, hard data (test scores) is one way to avoid being labeled as “one of those parents” and want to discuss the issue objectively.

Tests commonly used for above-level testing are typically the SAT and ACT for students in at least seventh grade. For elementary students the EXPLORE is often used. These tests are also used in most talent searches. However, when working with a school on grade or subject acceleration other testing options may be available. A common practice is to have a student take the end-of-year assessment test for the grade in which they’re considering moving to.