Thursday, May 22, 2008

Flabbergasted - One Kid Left Behind

Today Sarah brought home a note that said she was not accepted into the Gifted and Talented Program (GT) at Liberty. Daniel and I were shocked. Sarah was devastated. The past two years have been hard for Sarah in the sense that she is one of the smartest kids in the 2nd grade. Thanks to No Kid Left Behind, there are not many opportunities for her to learn on her level unless the teachers supply extra work. Her first grade teacher was great at this and her second grade teacher has done her best. However, it's impossible for the teachers to teach on her level full time because not many of the other kids are up there. Sarah reads/comprehends on 5-7th grade level. She completes math on a 3rd grade level. She would be higher in Math if she were taught those skills on a consistent level.

This year, Sarah has not felt incredibly challenged. The one thing that has kept her going was the opportunity to get into GT next year. When she heard the news, that bubble popped and she questioned herself. Daniel was so awesome. He held her as she cried and told her that she was one of the smartest kids that he knew and he was going to sort this out somehow. We didn't mention that homeschooling might be an option. In the past it hasn't been. Daniel isn't a huge fan of it unless there are special circumstances. Holding Sarah back is definitely fits that bill.

I'll let you know how it goes.

1 comment:

Alicia Looper said...

Oh man! I'm praying for you guys as you determine what is best for Sarah. She's an awesome kid!!!!