Bragging…
We recently found out that Maya did well on her GATE assessment exam…that’s Gifted and Talented Education program, for those of you who aren’t parents around here. For kids her age, that means she gets to miss three days of school in March and go to a Nature Center close by. For kids in middle school, there are several options, including a Literary Magazine, Model United Nations, Mock Legislature, Newscope, and Sixth Grade Science Seminars. In High School they learn about Writing the College Essay. I don’t know if that means writing essays for college applications, or the much more useful skill of writing papers for college. Ted is a professor (sans students at the moment), and the writing skills of the students are a constant source of horror for him. I don’t know whether her being in GATE now means that she stays in GATE through HS, or if she gets re-tested every year, or what. But in this world of horrid standardized testing testing testing, I am relieved that she has the skill to get through it, and that she can feel confident in those skills. Kind of a relief, since I know so many REALLY smart, bright, confident people who just do not test well, and I hate what our current educational system does to these kids. But that’s another post. This one is to say that I’m proud of my daughter. 🙂
5 Comments
Autumn's Mom
Congrat’s to Maya! I’m happy to say that Autumn enjoyed her time in GATE, but I’m glad ours is over for the year! 😉 We’ll see how next year goes. I’m grateful she hasn’t had to struggle, and sympathetic to those who do.
Cherry
YEAH MAYA!
I think I’ve told you my horrors with my GATE experience. But I loved the Literary Magazine, Model UN, Mock Legislature, Newscope (which I totally had forgotten about!) and all the other fun things that the GATE kids got to do.
I didn’t realize that those programs were for GATE kids, but come to think of it only the kids I was in classes with did those things.
J
Cherry, you haven’t told me your horrors, I don’t think. I don’t know if I want Maya to get involved with a ton of extra homework and projects, but at least at this level, it’s just getting out of school to learn about nature. What’s gonna be wrong with that? Middle School is different, I hear….
Piece of Work
Congratulations, Maya.
I just told my mom a story about when I was in 3rd grade, taking some kind of bubble test,and I finished my section early, so I started sneaking a peak into the current Hardy boys mystery I was reading. When I looked up again, the rest of the class was WAY into the next section–reading comprehension. I couldn’t begin to catch up. When I told the story, my mom said: is THAT why you didn’t test into the gifted program? I have no idea if that was the test, nor did I have any idea as a kid that I was ever tested for it. But kind of funny, eh?
Maya's Granny
Glad to hear that Maya will get to do GATE. It is wonderful when a child finds learning to be fun.