Alaska momma chat for APRIL! - Page 5

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post #81 of 89

4/28/10 at 1:52am

1,020 Posts. Joined 8/2005
Location: Anchorage, AK
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I'm reluctant to pursue testing for my DS, too, Karen. (They haven't made any mention of it, but I often get raised eyebrows and questioned about what he's doing when I turn in our plans and progress reports.) I can't seem to figure out any good reason, as long as she remains homeschooled. I tested highly gifted early on in public school, went to GT classes, still managed to spend the majority of my time in school bored silly... Eh.

Point being, you can *without question* definitely offer her more of a challenge at home, even as you find yourself at a loss occasionally. I was less than impressed with the workshop for gifted kids at the curriculum fair this weekend. Shrug. And her curriculum was $$$! Do you have any experience with it?

I am really curious why they are pushing for testing...

My school had me IQ tested when I was in 4th grade. My mom told me it was pretty much at my teacher's request - proof nothing was wrong with her teaching or my interest even though I was bored out of my mind. (Poor district, little options for "extras" other than going to the library.) I know I tested well, but folks never told me the actual results. I just got more "special project time"- as in I go to the library while other kids work on lessons. In 7th grade I took the SATs as dislocator also mentioned. My scores on that opened up some summer field courses through Duke University (in places like Costa Rica, N. Carolina coast, Rocky Mtns) that I loved. I credit them with firming my interest in biology/ecology/environmental sciences.

All that said, I really think it is important to de-emphasize test results. I never rocked my SATs in high school. I was always a B to B+ student in high school and college. Had my share of "bad" grades too - for tests and final class grades. Grades and scores are just one way of assessing. I would definitely persue with the school organization "how" they want to assess your DDs IQ. I met with a school counselor. I didn't know for a few years that it was an IQ test. I don't think it would have been good if I knew at that age what was going on there. I would have been anxious in some way that I was "supposed" to be or score a certain way.

post #84 of 89

4/29/10 at 7:19pm

3,325 Posts. Joined 4/2003
Location: -40 F
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Quote:

Originally Posted by brightonwoman

HEaly is about 2/3 between anchorage and fbx (Closer to fbx). It's at the road in to Denali NP I guess. What I'm reading says that winter temps average around 0--so -60 would be an extreme, not a norm. http://www.city-data.com/city/Healy-Alaska.html
He's interviewing with Metlaketla this morning too (He's at the AK teachers career fair this weekend). We lived in SE for two years though, and decided that (regardless of the size of the town) we'd rather be on the road system. I'll take Healy over Juneau actually, just because they have a road and it's possible to get out without spending a fortune...is that weird of me?!

Met is really isolated and IME from spending a few weeks there visiting a college friend, the community is very insular. Hope I don't offend any by saying that.

Nice friendly folks but most of the community has known each other since birth, KWIM?

Healy, gets way more population movement I think and might be easier to adjust to socially? I've heard that they get lots of parent involvement in their school. I did a science workshop in the 1st grade class and thought the class and teacher were lovely.

post #85 of 89

4/30/10 at 2:34pm

brightonwoman
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Location: Kotzebue, AK
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Re: IQ testing
We've had this done with my oldest DS a couple of times. One thing I liked about it (it was done by a school psych) was that they were able to say yes, he's very bright, but his study skills are just normal. So even though he was able to do some better/more involved work at his level, he wasn't ready to be pushed a grade ahead, if that makes sense. We were in a position where there wasn't any pushing to do anything different for him scholastically, just where we could have an official 'result' that validated what we already saw in him--that he is bright, but that he still needs to be in his own grade level because he's not ready to work faster or with older kids.
Anyway, personally, I have nothing against testing. So long as you aren't forced to *do* anything particular by the results, I think tests results can be interesting. Wolf was dinking around a lot in class at the beginning of the year and we thought maybe he was bored so we had him tested for gifted...he didn't quite qualify, but it did help us establish a good relationship with the school psych, and now that we're identifying ADHD (hmm, explains the dinking around!) it's nice that we're able to go into some of this interventionist stuff with that good relationship already in place.

Re: us
still no job offers. We're feeling hopeful for the local middle school still, but if that falls through we are now thinking we'll scrap the whole job thing and go back to school. DH has thought for some time about doing a masters in special ed, and we started researching doing it with UAS (which is almost all online as you may know) and if he started now and went though the summer he could have it done by next summer, which would have him done in time to be applying for a (much broadened) range of jobs a year from now. We know that the need for sp ed teachers is high enough that if he goes into that field he will probably never come back out, so we (or, rather, he) is thinking seroiusly about whether it's a step he wants to take. But it feels like a good idea right now anyway. Still hoping for the middle school, but I am finally taking a breath of relief as it feels like we have a plan B now.

post #86 of 89

4/30/10 at 2:49pm

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10,601 Posts. Joined 10/2003
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Well, you also have to remember that many bigger districts don't gear up hiring until their student numbers are more set.. I was interviewed a week before school started and hired THE DAY before school started.

post #87 of 89

4/30/10 at 8:26pm