at the end of 3rd grade, we found out that malia made it into the GATE program, which would start in 4th grade.
i had no idea what the GATE program entailed, i went to private school. so i was excited to learn about it at the parent meeting today.
GATE stands for Gifted And Talented Education. they showed us this:
malia would be in the GATE program until the end of elementary. she is so excited about it, and i am excited for her. she will be doing advanced art, outdoor biology/science, and community service.
i guess i'm neither bright nor gifted because i had to think about it for a while. every parent thinks of their child as both bright and gifted. and she had to go through tests and score 95% or higher and get recommendations from teachers to qualify. so they're telling me she's just gifted? i don't know if i like this categorizing my child idea.
and then i found this on one of the websites they mentioned:
How do I know if my child is gifted?
Compared to their age peers, gifted children usually learn at a faster pace, use a large vocabulary, ask many questions, and need activities that are complex and challenging. They may also be highly sensitive, creative, and intense. These are only some of the characteristics of a gifted child.
Why is raising a gifted child so challenging?and it all became clear. she is all that, and thank you CA Association for the Gifted for acknowledging that she is challenging to raise, thank you! but sorry, i can't join a support group at this time, but i do have some friends with gifted children. does that count?
Gifted children often exhibit unique social and emotional needs that may include a strong sense of justice, extreme idealism, moral intensity, perfectionism, hypersensitivity, and unreasonably high expectations for themselves and others. They can be emotionally hypersensitive, such as to criticism, and/or physically hypersensitive, such as to touch and smell. Some may appear to be perpetual motion machines, or show wide swings in mood and maturity. Their vast emotional range can make them appear contradictory – aggressive and timid, mature and immature, arrogant and compassionate – depending on the situation. They may push the limits of rules at home and school, challenge their parents and teachers with constant questioning and engage in risky behavior. The discrepancies between their physical, emotional, and intellectual development make parenting and teaching gifted children especially challenging. You may benefit from joining a support group for parents of gifted children as a way to meet others who share your concerns; if there are no groups in your area, consider starting one of your own.
malia turned to me with a smile at the meeting and said,"i'm gifted." i told her that i would wrap her up all the time since she's gifted. she rolled her eyes and laughed. (yes, put me in the crazy category.)
bright or not bright, gifted or not gifted, she's just my baby girl.
