The farm is giving me a raise! *gasp*
I was a little shocked after that dream I had the other night, but I did manage to say thanks. Cool!
And here's a spider story from today:
Early this morning, I was asked to pick the full-sized tomatoes in the high tunnel. And while I've grown a little more comfortable with the enormous spiders (i.e. I know where they normally hang out now and can avoid 90% of them), the full-sized tomatoes are THE hangout spot for the most and the biggest of them.
Anyway, I arm myself with a long pole and head down spider alley. My instructions are to knock down the webs and pick tomatoes...simple, right? Well, I knock down the first web and the spider clings to the pole. I whack the pole on the ground to knock it off and the spider comes skittering towards me.
I step on it.
Crunch.
That feels good. Now I know that it won't just build another web tonight for someone else to break down in a couple days. More efficient, right?
I knock down the next web, whack the spider off the pole, and step on it *crunch*
And then another time *crunch*
And just as I'm poised to take down a fourth web, my junior boss comes up and says, "You aren't killing those spiders, are you? Those are beneficials."
"Uh. Um. Well, I...uh...I'm trying not to, but I am, yes. I won't anymore."
I felt only vaguely ashamed. Not very repentant. I continued through two more webs, sparing the owner's lives, and realized that a handful of unsellable tomatoes weren't worth all this effort (I had already picked most of the good tomatoes through the row, so this was only to catch the few I had missed). No one complained. Especially not the spiders.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Thursday, August 30, 2018
40th Year Goals
Okay, I think I finally have a framework that I can work within to make this 40th year of my life as meaningful and celebratory and milestoney as I had hoped. My initial approach was far too complicated and I started making up things just to fit the theme, which completely misses the point, right?
So! Here it is officially. Finally. On the last day of my birth month :)
By the last day of my birth month next year, I will...
...spend 40 quality hours one-on-one with loved ones (spouse and children top the list, but there will be more)
...serve others outside my usual circle of loved ones (40 hours)
...train for and participate in at least one major endurance event (preferably a physical one, LOL)
...master something new
...do something that scares me
...fix something that's been bothering me a long time
...go somewhere new (bucket list?)
Ready, set, go!
So! Here it is officially. Finally. On the last day of my birth month :)
By the last day of my birth month next year, I will...
...spend 40 quality hours one-on-one with loved ones (spouse and children top the list, but there will be more)
...serve others outside my usual circle of loved ones (40 hours)
...train for and participate in at least one major endurance event (preferably a physical one, LOL)
...master something new
...do something that scares me
...fix something that's been bothering me a long time
...go somewhere new (bucket list?)
Ready, set, go!
 |
| This is the best family photo we could get at the reunion. James wasn't in the mood. Again. That kid does not enjoy getting his picture taken in such a formal way. Can't wait to see how his first school pictures turn out! |
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Masoo!
With James in full-day kindergarten, I get a lot more one-on-one time with this guy:
Matthew likes a lot of attention. When it's just me and him, he doesn't stop talking. Ever. He's telling me stories, asking questions, sorting out our schedule, clarifying memories, and trying to involve me in every type of imaginary game he can concoct..."Do you WANT to be a superhero baby kitty mommy? I'm a superhero baby kitty and I need a mommy." All the while I'm trying to get chores done, run errands, work on long-term projects, and periodically blog :) I spend time playing with him, too, but it's never enough for his insatiable, sociable nature.
"Mommy, watch this WHOLE thing." (he gets the toys to act out something funny like falling off a cliff)
"Mommy, I have to tell you a secret. But not here. In your closet." (we move into my closet) "I have to tell you that some monsters are real. But just the nice ones. Nice vampires that like the sunshine. Monsters that don't run away when you want to hug and kiss them."
"This song is about me! Rocka Ma-sooo in duh bay!" (actual lyrics: Rocka my soul in the bosom of Abraham")
And then, the moment we pick up his brothers from school, he stops talking and just watches the drama unfold.
I love having more patience and time for him.
I love that he wants to engage me and make me part of his inner workings.
I love that he's excited about being home with just me. He's excited for now, anyway.
I love that we can do things together that used to be painful for 3 or more of us (grocery shopping) and have fun doing them one-on-one. He gets to choose the yogurt flavors and stuff. So fun!
He's adapting to preschool on his own alright. He's happy when he gets there and happy when it's time to come home. Doesn't get much better than that :)
Matthew likes a lot of attention. When it's just me and him, he doesn't stop talking. Ever. He's telling me stories, asking questions, sorting out our schedule, clarifying memories, and trying to involve me in every type of imaginary game he can concoct..."Do you WANT to be a superhero baby kitty mommy? I'm a superhero baby kitty and I need a mommy." All the while I'm trying to get chores done, run errands, work on long-term projects, and periodically blog :) I spend time playing with him, too, but it's never enough for his insatiable, sociable nature.
"Mommy, watch this WHOLE thing." (he gets the toys to act out something funny like falling off a cliff)
"Mommy, I have to tell you a secret. But not here. In your closet." (we move into my closet) "I have to tell you that some monsters are real. But just the nice ones. Nice vampires that like the sunshine. Monsters that don't run away when you want to hug and kiss them."
"This song is about me! Rocka Ma-sooo in duh bay!" (actual lyrics: Rocka my soul in the bosom of Abraham")
And then, the moment we pick up his brothers from school, he stops talking and just watches the drama unfold.
I love having more patience and time for him.
I love that he wants to engage me and make me part of his inner workings.
I love that he's excited about being home with just me. He's excited for now, anyway.
I love that we can do things together that used to be painful for 3 or more of us (grocery shopping) and have fun doing them one-on-one. He gets to choose the yogurt flavors and stuff. So fun!
He's adapting to preschool on his own alright. He's happy when he gets there and happy when it's time to come home. Doesn't get much better than that :)
Tomato Pinatas
Monday was my first official "long" shift at the farm (6-11:15am). I've been working 6-9am through the summer, but now that the kids are in school and Matthew goes to preschool 3 mornings a week, I can play on the farm until preschool pickup.
My first day was a doozy, though. Hot. Muggy. And, dare I say it, a little boring. Not super fun.
Everything was fine until halfway through I was assigned to harvest field tomatoes. And most of the field tomato bits are perfectly reasonable! There's just one large patch that never got trellised. I crawled around in a forest of fallen tomato plants and knee-high weeds, searching for ripe tomatoes like some twisted Easter Egg Hunt. Every so often, I would grab a good-looking tomato, only to have my fingers plunk right into its squishy, rotten interior, spilling its stinky guts onto to the ground. It reminded me a little of a pinata. That made me smile.
More than once, good tomatoes would be gunked up by their rotten, maggotty neighbors. That wasn't fun. I'll still take that over giant spiders ANY day, though.
I was working with other people, but we didn't talk. I had podcasts and music on my phone, but I don't like using headphones/earbuds on the farm, and I didn't want to make other people listen to my stuff, so I kept it all off. Silent, hot, muggy, dirty work. Time dragged.
There was nothing anyone could do now to fix the trellising problem from 2 months ago. We just had to dig in and do it. So I did...in two different ways.
First, I thought about it as a person earning an hourly wage for my time: depression, drudgery, want to quit.
Then, I thought about it as if this were my farm, my produce, my personal project: resilience, grit, a deep breath, every good tomato found was a victory.
Even with a more positive mindset and an hourly wage nudging me along to the end of my shift, I was happy to leave it there for others to finish at 11:15.
It troubled me that my morning at the farm wasn't very fun. I thought about it throughout the day. And I even had a dream about it that night: My boss told me that the farm wasn't doing very well and they were going to stop paying me. He thought it wouldn't matter as much to me because I had initially turned down the wage offer. In my dream, I was horrified. There were brief moments in that tomato-picking ordeal that my wage was the only thing keeping me there. I didn't like that feeling. I was glad to wake up and realize that the wage would remain in place and I could continue working at the farm in a variety of jobs. I even sent that email to my boss about taking on more trellising work next year. We'll see what comes of it. In the meantime I might just have to develop a sudden allergy to tomato plants...
My first day was a doozy, though. Hot. Muggy. And, dare I say it, a little boring. Not super fun.
Everything was fine until halfway through I was assigned to harvest field tomatoes. And most of the field tomato bits are perfectly reasonable! There's just one large patch that never got trellised. I crawled around in a forest of fallen tomato plants and knee-high weeds, searching for ripe tomatoes like some twisted Easter Egg Hunt. Every so often, I would grab a good-looking tomato, only to have my fingers plunk right into its squishy, rotten interior, spilling its stinky guts onto to the ground. It reminded me a little of a pinata. That made me smile.
More than once, good tomatoes would be gunked up by their rotten, maggotty neighbors. That wasn't fun. I'll still take that over giant spiders ANY day, though.
I was working with other people, but we didn't talk. I had podcasts and music on my phone, but I don't like using headphones/earbuds on the farm, and I didn't want to make other people listen to my stuff, so I kept it all off. Silent, hot, muggy, dirty work. Time dragged.
There was nothing anyone could do now to fix the trellising problem from 2 months ago. We just had to dig in and do it. So I did...in two different ways.
First, I thought about it as a person earning an hourly wage for my time: depression, drudgery, want to quit.
Then, I thought about it as if this were my farm, my produce, my personal project: resilience, grit, a deep breath, every good tomato found was a victory.
Even with a more positive mindset and an hourly wage nudging me along to the end of my shift, I was happy to leave it there for others to finish at 11:15.
It troubled me that my morning at the farm wasn't very fun. I thought about it throughout the day. And I even had a dream about it that night: My boss told me that the farm wasn't doing very well and they were going to stop paying me. He thought it wouldn't matter as much to me because I had initially turned down the wage offer. In my dream, I was horrified. There were brief moments in that tomato-picking ordeal that my wage was the only thing keeping me there. I didn't like that feeling. I was glad to wake up and realize that the wage would remain in place and I could continue working at the farm in a variety of jobs. I even sent that email to my boss about taking on more trellising work next year. We'll see what comes of it. In the meantime I might just have to develop a sudden allergy to tomato plants...
Monday, August 20, 2018
Did it!
The 28-mile bike ride wasn't so bad. Perfect weather for it, actually.
Here I am at the halfway point in White Heath where you turn around and take a different loop back to Mahomet. I look really happy. Once I got back on the road, though, I noticed that the wind was now in my face and we had to ride back up the 1000ft elevation drop we had experienced on the way out.
*SOB*
But we did it. Me and my biking buddy Janell. At the very end, we had this freakishly steep freeway overpass to climb, and I was huffing and puffing and my legs were killing me, and all I could think about was getting off and walking my bike the rest of the way up, but Janell was right behind me and I didn't want to appear weak, so I toughed it out. We both did.
At the top of the overpass, I turned back to her and said, "If you weren't here, I totally would have walked that thing."
"Yeah, me too!"
We laughed about it a bit and agreed that we were a pretty good match as far as biking skill and should get together again. Yay!
I've got the 52-miler on my calendar for next summer :) It takes you all the way out to Allerton Park in Monticello. I've wanted to see Allerton a long time. Maybe 15 years or so?
Here I am at the halfway point in White Heath where you turn around and take a different loop back to Mahomet. I look really happy. Once I got back on the road, though, I noticed that the wind was now in my face and we had to ride back up the 1000ft elevation drop we had experienced on the way out.
*SOB*
But we did it. Me and my biking buddy Janell. At the very end, we had this freakishly steep freeway overpass to climb, and I was huffing and puffing and my legs were killing me, and all I could think about was getting off and walking my bike the rest of the way up, but Janell was right behind me and I didn't want to appear weak, so I toughed it out. We both did.
At the top of the overpass, I turned back to her and said, "If you weren't here, I totally would have walked that thing."
"Yeah, me too!"
We laughed about it a bit and agreed that we were a pretty good match as far as biking skill and should get together again. Yay!
I've got the 52-miler on my calendar for next summer :) It takes you all the way out to Allerton Park in Monticello. I've wanted to see Allerton a long time. Maybe 15 years or so?
Friday, August 17, 2018
Gonna ride it!
I got to bed pretty late last night. I couldn't stop thinking about Alice starting Middle School on Monday and how much I didn't know about it all. I had to get out of bed and research everything online, figure out a plan, until I was too tired to do any more: bell schedules, student handbook, after school activity options, bus routes, figuring out our morning routine with 4 kids going to 3 different schools with 3 different start times. It was about midnight when I quit.
Then we had a raucous thunderstorm about 2am. Alice got scared enough to hop into our bed for a while.
She left and I passed out again until my alarm went off at 5:20 so I could get to the farm by 6:00.
I had a good time.
I've eaten a lot of chocolate today to stay alert.
And other treats.
And I'm REALLY excited about a 28-mile bike ride happening tomorrow morning. Giddy with anticipation, actually. This was the ride my Full Moon Ride buddies roped me into. I'll be riding with them again. Maybe I'll remember to get a picture or two this time!
Then we had a raucous thunderstorm about 2am. Alice got scared enough to hop into our bed for a while.
She left and I passed out again until my alarm went off at 5:20 so I could get to the farm by 6:00.
I had a good time.
I've eaten a lot of chocolate today to stay alert.
And other treats.
And I'm REALLY excited about a 28-mile bike ride happening tomorrow morning. Giddy with anticipation, actually. This was the ride my Full Moon Ride buddies roped me into. I'll be riding with them again. Maybe I'll remember to get a picture or two this time!
High Tunnel Inhabitants
I used to like rainy days at the farm.
On rainy days, I could do cushy "indoor" tasks in the greenhouse or high tunnel...weeding, harvesting, pruning, and trellising are delicate and precise procedures in a perfectly manicured environment. Less disease. Ideal growing conditions. A slice of gardening perfection. I would work indoors and dream of my own high tunnel in my own backyard.
Today, though, in the middle of August, I came face-to-face with one of those gut-wrenching childhood fears that never really goes away...
Several of them, actually. These enormous zipper spiders have taken up residence in the high tunnel. They are so large that I can almost hear their exoskeletons clicking as they move...or am I imagining that? *shudder* The high tunnel is lovingly referred to as the "tomato jungle". Tomato plants in there easily reach 10-12 feet high and fold over to keep growing more. It's insane. And beautiful. And it smells delicious.
BUT...
This morning, I came across a giant zipper spider in the middle of my path, inches from my face, and I literally shivered. I felt like wetting myself and throwing up all at once. Not cool, dude. I turned back and paced a bit...do I tough it out and keep harvesting? I could see several more down the row. Do I just knock down the webs as I find them and move on? Do I beg my boss for a different task? I didn't want to appear weak, but I was having a REALLY hard time getting back to work. Waves of terrified nausea.
Thankfully, I work with some pretty awesome people that I've come to trust and love. And really thankfully, one of them is Matt Wallig. He's a retired ag professor that, coincidentally enough, served on my thesis committee. Totally fun, totally easy-going, talkative, and someone I can trust with a fear of giant spiders.
"Matt, I've gotta tell you, I can't harvest on this side anymore. Too many giant spiders."
"What? Spiders? Oh, they don't bother me much. Let's trade sides. Where are they?"
I pointed it out, but he didn't see it at first. You know the feeling? He looked and looked and moved closer and then suddenly he saw it much closer than he anticipated.
"Whoa! Okay."
He showed me how to break the non-sticky strands of the web, causing the whole shebang to flutter to the ground. He let me know that these particular spiders only bite when you try to touch them. Huge, but not aggressive. Painful, but not lethal. He confessed that his personal insect weakness was wasps, then shared a couple horrifying stories that clearly demonstrated his point.
There were a couple more people harvesting tomatoes on the other side of Matt's aisle. Apparently, his aisle was the WORST as far as zipper spiders: one every couple of feet, then a whole nest of them midway. One girl literally screamed when she saw Matt carefully taking down one of the webs with its enormous inhabitant square in the middle. I'm not the only one with big spider issues ;)
Matt toughed it out for a while, but every web he took down would only be rebuilt overnight. This was one of those times the spiders get the win. He came back over to my side and we picked through the row as best we could.
Aw, man.
I'm pretty tough when it comes to creepy crawlies, but that was something else.
On rainy days, I could do cushy "indoor" tasks in the greenhouse or high tunnel...weeding, harvesting, pruning, and trellising are delicate and precise procedures in a perfectly manicured environment. Less disease. Ideal growing conditions. A slice of gardening perfection. I would work indoors and dream of my own high tunnel in my own backyard.
Today, though, in the middle of August, I came face-to-face with one of those gut-wrenching childhood fears that never really goes away...
 |
| He's 3 inches across. I kid you not. I found his big sister a few minutes later and she could wrestle a mouse. |
Several of them, actually. These enormous zipper spiders have taken up residence in the high tunnel. They are so large that I can almost hear their exoskeletons clicking as they move...or am I imagining that? *shudder* The high tunnel is lovingly referred to as the "tomato jungle". Tomato plants in there easily reach 10-12 feet high and fold over to keep growing more. It's insane. And beautiful. And it smells delicious.
BUT...
This morning, I came across a giant zipper spider in the middle of my path, inches from my face, and I literally shivered. I felt like wetting myself and throwing up all at once. Not cool, dude. I turned back and paced a bit...do I tough it out and keep harvesting? I could see several more down the row. Do I just knock down the webs as I find them and move on? Do I beg my boss for a different task? I didn't want to appear weak, but I was having a REALLY hard time getting back to work. Waves of terrified nausea.
Thankfully, I work with some pretty awesome people that I've come to trust and love. And really thankfully, one of them is Matt Wallig. He's a retired ag professor that, coincidentally enough, served on my thesis committee. Totally fun, totally easy-going, talkative, and someone I can trust with a fear of giant spiders.
"Matt, I've gotta tell you, I can't harvest on this side anymore. Too many giant spiders."
"What? Spiders? Oh, they don't bother me much. Let's trade sides. Where are they?"
I pointed it out, but he didn't see it at first. You know the feeling? He looked and looked and moved closer and then suddenly he saw it much closer than he anticipated.
"Whoa! Okay."
He showed me how to break the non-sticky strands of the web, causing the whole shebang to flutter to the ground. He let me know that these particular spiders only bite when you try to touch them. Huge, but not aggressive. Painful, but not lethal. He confessed that his personal insect weakness was wasps, then shared a couple horrifying stories that clearly demonstrated his point.
There were a couple more people harvesting tomatoes on the other side of Matt's aisle. Apparently, his aisle was the WORST as far as zipper spiders: one every couple of feet, then a whole nest of them midway. One girl literally screamed when she saw Matt carefully taking down one of the webs with its enormous inhabitant square in the middle. I'm not the only one with big spider issues ;)
Matt toughed it out for a while, but every web he took down would only be rebuilt overnight. This was one of those times the spiders get the win. He came back over to my side and we picked through the row as best we could.
Aw, man.
I'm pretty tough when it comes to creepy crawlies, but that was something else.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
3 in 100
We took Alice to the orthodontist today for a consult about her adult canines growing in sideways. It was not pretty. Alice was obedient (and eventually compliant) but appeared a seething, jaw-clenching, tensed up ball of fury. After the initial exam, when the doctor started talking about treatment options, Alice literally plugged her ears and squinched her eyes shut. She wanted none of this information.
Tooth impactions happen in 3% of the population.
This was the third canine-tooth impaction this doctor had seen this morning. He was quite surprised! Alice was a little relieved to hear her condition wasn't so uncommon after all.
As we left the office, she visibly loosened up and confessed that she had heard bits and pieces of the conversation. Enough, anyway, to realize that it wouldn't involve breaking her jaw (thanks, Uncle Mike, for scaring the crap out of her): two baby teeth extractions and eventually braces to pull an impacted canine out of her gums. Follow up in 6 months. The more people she tells about this, the better she feels. It's not a pleasant topic for her, to be sure, and actually getting her to the dentist for those extractions will be an Olympic feat in and of itself. But we can do it. She said she wanted at least 2 months before the extractions. I'm willing to wait a little so she has time to own this thing. Or deny it. Probably both.
Tooth impactions happen in 3% of the population.
This was the third canine-tooth impaction this doctor had seen this morning. He was quite surprised! Alice was a little relieved to hear her condition wasn't so uncommon after all.
As we left the office, she visibly loosened up and confessed that she had heard bits and pieces of the conversation. Enough, anyway, to realize that it wouldn't involve breaking her jaw (thanks, Uncle Mike, for scaring the crap out of her): two baby teeth extractions and eventually braces to pull an impacted canine out of her gums. Follow up in 6 months. The more people she tells about this, the better she feels. It's not a pleasant topic for her, to be sure, and actually getting her to the dentist for those extractions will be an Olympic feat in and of itself. But we can do it. She said she wanted at least 2 months before the extractions. I'm willing to wait a little so she has time to own this thing. Or deny it. Probably both.
So, so tired
We just returned yesterday from our travels out west to see family. I shouldn't be allowed to travel anymore, since I managed to mess up almost every single reservation and plan I made. Both to and from our destination. It's a long, torturous story that will be funny in a couple years. Still stings a bit right now, though :(
More details to come when I catch up on sleep and finally get these kids back to school (next week!).
More details to come when I catch up on sleep and finally get these kids back to school (next week!).
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Acceleration
A new law in the state of Illinois now requires all school districts to have policies/procedures in place for the acceleration of students excelling in one or more areas of study.
This is huge.
Why?
Until now, it was up to the individual schools and districts how they would deal with students performing above their grade level. In the Urbana school district, in particular, there was no policy for entering kindergarten early, skipping a grade, or having a student spend some time in a higher level classroom for reading or math time. It was up to each individual teacher and the parents to create a plan that would challenge the student academically.
Messy...inefficient...asking a lot from a teacher with 28+ students.
Our neighboring school district, Champaign, routinely tests every child and will recommend them for gifted education starting in 3rd grade (I believe). If parents opt for the gifted program, their child will need attend the one school with a gifted track. That means siblings could be attending different elementary school across town. It also means gifted students are pulled out and concentrated into one place.
Expensive...more exclusive than inclusive.
I won't lie. I have wanted a gifted program in Urbana ever since Alice started kindergarten. She met the kindergarten thresholds for reading and math within one month of starting school. She wasn't harmed by staying in kindergarten. She has developed long-standing, solid relationships with really neat friends and adults that all started in kindergarten. She's also struggled with teachers so focused on the underperforming and disruptive students that she doesn't always get challenging work. Or high expectations to work towards.
The research I've seen shows that mixed classrooms, with students performing at high, moderate, and low levels actually help all of the students achieve more. The moderate performers are a buffer that inspire the struggling kids and chill out the high achievers. Social glue.
So, I've been a little torn on this issue.
Thanks to this new law, I am torn no more. Any child can be recommended for acceleration, and the process starts with a simple request from anyone in that child's life: the child herself, a parent, grandparent, doctor, teacher, social worker, janitor. It doesn't matter who. If someone asks for the school district to consider this child, they will be considered. If it is found that a child would benefit from a more challenging curriculum, they can spend time in a regular classroom with regular kids of a higher grade. No extra testing or programs. It's more work for the administrators to meet, assess, and eventually sort schedules, but the teachers themselves are not being asked to organize anything above and beyond what they would normally prepare for the rest of the class. The students get to stay with their peers and in their grade for every other subject.
Alice and Robert are not geniuses. They simply get the benefit of growing up in a middle-class home that prioritizes education and curiosity and achievement. For the record, I don't want either one to skip a grade unless it's really, truly in their best interest as a complete human being. I'm most interested in the subject-specific acceleration.
I was so excited about this new law that I shared the good news with Alice and Robert right away. Robert got a big smile, gave me a hug, and brought his face right up into mine, our foreheads pressed together with his excitement and asked, "How many grades do you think they'll let me skip?"
Alice's response made my heart sink. She pursed her lips, dropped her eyes, and looked away. Her face blank. She picked up a book and started reading. Totally not wanting to consider this possibility.
And I know why. Alice doesn't want to be separated from her friends. One friend, in particular. I have no idea where her friend falls academically, but she also happens to be a product of middle class parents that prioritize education. She can't be that far off from Alice, right?! I shrink at the thought that Alice will not even consider acceleration if there's a slight chance it would pull her away from her dearest friend.
I can't blame her. I love her loyalty. It's a blessing that she has people in her life she loves so deeply.
And, honestly, Alice is a capable kind of girl whose life trajectory will not change THAT drastically if she takes pre-algebra in 8th grade instead of 9th grade.
And yet...as her mom...a very competitive, academically-inclined, recovering high-achiever myself...I'm a little saddened that she doesn't leap at the chance to do a little more and go a little farther.
I'm not going to push the issue with her. Yet. Let's see if it becomes a pattern/problem this year. I did, however, receive an invitation to enroll Alice in a Math Extensions course for high-achieving 6th graders. I signed her up without talking to her about it first, but ONLY because it's an elective that does not pull her out of regular 6th grade math or any other classes she already has with her best friend. Let's see if it comes back to bite me. I'm new to this middle school teenager thing...;)
[UPDATE, later this evening] I told Alice she was invited to participate in an elective math class due to her high standardized test score. She was excited! Then I let her know that she'd still have 6th grade math with her team and it wouldn't eat into her best friend time. She was practically dancing. Whew.
This is huge.
Why?
Until now, it was up to the individual schools and districts how they would deal with students performing above their grade level. In the Urbana school district, in particular, there was no policy for entering kindergarten early, skipping a grade, or having a student spend some time in a higher level classroom for reading or math time. It was up to each individual teacher and the parents to create a plan that would challenge the student academically.
Messy...inefficient...asking a lot from a teacher with 28+ students.
Our neighboring school district, Champaign, routinely tests every child and will recommend them for gifted education starting in 3rd grade (I believe). If parents opt for the gifted program, their child will need attend the one school with a gifted track. That means siblings could be attending different elementary school across town. It also means gifted students are pulled out and concentrated into one place.
Expensive...more exclusive than inclusive.
I won't lie. I have wanted a gifted program in Urbana ever since Alice started kindergarten. She met the kindergarten thresholds for reading and math within one month of starting school. She wasn't harmed by staying in kindergarten. She has developed long-standing, solid relationships with really neat friends and adults that all started in kindergarten. She's also struggled with teachers so focused on the underperforming and disruptive students that she doesn't always get challenging work. Or high expectations to work towards.
The research I've seen shows that mixed classrooms, with students performing at high, moderate, and low levels actually help all of the students achieve more. The moderate performers are a buffer that inspire the struggling kids and chill out the high achievers. Social glue.
So, I've been a little torn on this issue.
Thanks to this new law, I am torn no more. Any child can be recommended for acceleration, and the process starts with a simple request from anyone in that child's life: the child herself, a parent, grandparent, doctor, teacher, social worker, janitor. It doesn't matter who. If someone asks for the school district to consider this child, they will be considered. If it is found that a child would benefit from a more challenging curriculum, they can spend time in a regular classroom with regular kids of a higher grade. No extra testing or programs. It's more work for the administrators to meet, assess, and eventually sort schedules, but the teachers themselves are not being asked to organize anything above and beyond what they would normally prepare for the rest of the class. The students get to stay with their peers and in their grade for every other subject.
Alice and Robert are not geniuses. They simply get the benefit of growing up in a middle-class home that prioritizes education and curiosity and achievement. For the record, I don't want either one to skip a grade unless it's really, truly in their best interest as a complete human being. I'm most interested in the subject-specific acceleration.
I was so excited about this new law that I shared the good news with Alice and Robert right away. Robert got a big smile, gave me a hug, and brought his face right up into mine, our foreheads pressed together with his excitement and asked, "How many grades do you think they'll let me skip?"
Alice's response made my heart sink. She pursed her lips, dropped her eyes, and looked away. Her face blank. She picked up a book and started reading. Totally not wanting to consider this possibility.
And I know why. Alice doesn't want to be separated from her friends. One friend, in particular. I have no idea where her friend falls academically, but she also happens to be a product of middle class parents that prioritize education. She can't be that far off from Alice, right?! I shrink at the thought that Alice will not even consider acceleration if there's a slight chance it would pull her away from her dearest friend.
I can't blame her. I love her loyalty. It's a blessing that she has people in her life she loves so deeply.
And, honestly, Alice is a capable kind of girl whose life trajectory will not change THAT drastically if she takes pre-algebra in 8th grade instead of 9th grade.
And yet...as her mom...a very competitive, academically-inclined, recovering high-achiever myself...I'm a little saddened that she doesn't leap at the chance to do a little more and go a little farther.
I'm not going to push the issue with her. Yet. Let's see if it becomes a pattern/problem this year. I did, however, receive an invitation to enroll Alice in a Math Extensions course for high-achieving 6th graders. I signed her up without talking to her about it first, but ONLY because it's an elective that does not pull her out of regular 6th grade math or any other classes she already has with her best friend. Let's see if it comes back to bite me. I'm new to this middle school teenager thing...;)
[UPDATE, later this evening] I told Alice she was invited to participate in an elective math class due to her high standardized test score. She was excited! Then I let her know that she'd still have 6th grade math with her team and it wouldn't eat into her best friend time. She was practically dancing. Whew.
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