[Oz-gifted] Update on L

Fri Dec 15 20:04:46 EST 2006

Keep on them at school!  We are in the state system and are discovering
the hard way that despite teacher's best intentions most of their time,
energy and resources must go into helping students attain minimum
required statewide benchmarks.  Teachers simply can't spread themselves
thin enough to give much extra to those students who are 'already
there'.  Not that teachers don't want to help!  They do the best they
can with very full classes, minimum time and resources available to
them!  We're experiencing lots of talking and good intentions but
nowhere near enough follow up.  That has to come from the parents.
Don't presume anything!  (Oh no, I think I've turned into one of 'those'
parents .......)!

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: Update on L (Ellen Hrebeniuk)
   2. Re: Year-Skip Question/marilyn (Alison Miller)
   3. Re: [spam] Re:  Year-Skip Question (Alison Miller)
   4. Re: Year-Skip Question/marilyn (Marilyn Macarthur-King)

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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:35:54 +1100
From: Ellen Hrebeniuk <ehrebeniuk at optushome.com.au>
Subject: Re: [Oz-gifted] Update on L
To: oz-gifted at cobia.ed.qut.edu.au
Message-ID: <a0621021ac1a673fb8c6b@[192.168.0.2]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

At 12:53 PM +1100 14/12/06, Richard Robertson wrote:
>Testing, for us, proved incredibly helpful.  As parents, we were
>(embarrassingly)unaware our son was gifted.

The reason that I was not was because I'd done some psychology 
courses on child development, and L's language use was well ahead of 
the norm.  According to the WSPPI-III he is in the top 0.4% of the 
population for language skills, and top 2% generally.  I suspect the 
informal comments of his teacher that she'd "never taught a child 
quite like him before" kicked things along a bit.

>   It also appears 'the powers
>that be' at school tend to take notice of validating test results and
>recommendations prescribed by psychologists whereas a parent's opinion
>is of little value on its own within the system!!

I wasn't particularly keen on getting the testing done, but it 
appears to have worked for good.  The numbers not only validate the 
informal observations of the teachers; they provide CYA for when some 
senior bureaucrat asks stupid questions.

TBH I can understand why parents' opinions aren't always taken too 
seriously.  There are "Lake Wobegon" areas of Sydney where all 
parents believe their children are above average, and woe betide the 
teacher if the report card/soccer ref/etc doesn't agree.  Fortunately 
I do not live in such a place, or my discussions with the staff would 
probably have been discounted.  Also, I have been able to make it 
clear that I want intervention now BEFORE L becomes bored and 
naughty.  He is most definitely not a "problem child" (and it helps 
that they have REAL problem children at my school, too).
-- 
Ellen Hrebeniuk
Sydney, Australia

Being a librarian is how you change the world.
Nancy Pearl

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 07:58:18 +1100
From: "Alison Miller" <rmil6566 at bigpond.net.au>
Subject: Re: [Oz-gifted] Year-Skip Question/marilyn
To: <oz-gifted at rite.ed.qut.edu.au>
Message-ID: <00a601c71fc2$950074a0$0d02a8c0 at HOMEMILLERS>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"

> it was a long wait."
>
> I'll endorse that!!
> My youngest ds (20) took till 2nd year Uni to
> *finally* get engaged in his learning......it was a
> very long wait!!

what course?

 I think of those 13 years of
> drudgery and wasted time and wonder how he (we!)
> survived.
it wasn't the drudgery it was the lack of stimulation for dd,18.She's
"brighte r " than dd, 22.But the 22 yr old is a plodder and loves doing
her
Masters in Medical Physics but still thinks she's very average (even
though
everyone's impressed with her marks/attitiude).
DD 18,is finally engaged in geology/biology as these were her passion
from 6
but there was no home for them ,at least in SW Sydney!
>alison miller

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 07:59:18 +1100
From: "Alison Miller" <rmil6566 at bigpond.net.au>
Subject: Re: [Oz-gifted] [spam] Re:  Year-Skip Question
To: <oz-gifted at rite.ed.qut.edu.au>
Message-ID: <00ab01c71fc2$b8b785a0$0d02a8c0 at HOMEMILLERS>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"

what's with 2nd year ?
that's where d ,22,fell apart for other reasons.
She's happier post grad.
alison
PS dd,18,does 2nd year this year.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Broadfoot" <david at pureclass.net>
To: <oz-gifted at rite.ed.qut.edu.au>
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 9:01 AM
Subject: Re: [Oz-gifted] [spam] Re: Year-Skip Question

> > My youngest ds (20) took till 2nd year Uni to
> > *finally* get engaged in his learning......it was a
> > very long wait!!  I think of those 13 years of
> > drudgery and wasted time and wonder how he (we!)
> > survived.
> > Cheers
> > Marilyn.
> 
> 
> It was 2nd year uni for me too.
> 
> David
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> oz-gifted at rite.ed.qut.edu.au
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------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 08:37:07 +1100 (EST)
From: Marilyn Macarthur-King <marilmking at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Oz-gifted] Year-Skip Question/marilyn
To: oz-gifted at rite.ed.qut.edu.au
Message-ID: <811009.72526.qm at web53814.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Photonic Engineering

Send instant messages to your online friends
http://au.messenger.yahoo.com 

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