[Oz-gifted] thank you & great to hear about an apprenticeship!

[Robyn Menzies]

Hi Sue,

Thanks Sue (and everyone else) for your comments about my daughters
disheartening first report. It's Parent teacher interviews this week
(not that the allotted time is ever enough) so I will follow up from
there - her teacher seems pretty approachable. I was encouraged to see
what you wrote about your son....


"Note that mine is 19 now, he is happy and healthy and we made it
through
school, at times it was pretty nerve racking for all of us. He still has
his
moments, they are just *older* teenagey moments and he still pressures
himself.  No he did not go all the way through school but that is OK
also,
we have to look at the whole person not just the school person. He is
nearly
at the end of his apprenticeship in something he loves to do and has
companies from near and far trying to tempt him away from his current
employer with money and perks. It's quite an eyeopener for us all but
best
of all it boosts his self esteem and sense of self worth."

It's so good to hear about kids (especially gifted ones) taking a
non-academic track to careers - my older son (who is 12 and just
starting in on the "teenagey moments") is really not suited to the
traditional school system and I often think he won't make it to year 12.
In the past there were lots of options for kids who left school at year
10 (or even yr 9) but these days there seems to be such a societal
stigma about apprenticeships (or indeed any work path that doesn't
involve a degree) that I sometimes get a bit depressed about it all. I'm
sure he'll find his way eventually  (after all - he's made it this far
fairly unscathed and there were many times when I thought he wouldn't!)
but it's just nice to hear someone else successfully navigating "the
system".

Thanks

Robyn

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