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Was There Ever Any Doubt?

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By marydalene

I love being right. I just wish I didn't have to go to such lengths to prove it. But, still, there is some vindication in saying "I told you so," even if you never say it out loud.

Timothy is a very bright kid. If you've spent any amount of time around him, you'll realize that he's pretty clever and smart. You also know that his birthday falls after the deadline of Sept. 1 for school. So he's almost 6 and couldn't go to kindergarten last year because of state law (you have to be 5 by Sept. 1). But there is a little reprieve in that you can test into first grade. Jared and I have been working to get Timothy tested so that he would actually learn something this year instead of just being bored all year long in kindergarten.

He had his kindergarten assessment on Tuesday. I had to sit in the hall during it, but I heard several, "Aren't you smart?" and other similar comments by the kindergarten teacher. After the testing, she immediately encouraged me to make sure that he got into first grade -- he didn't belong in kindergarten ("Yep, I know," I thought).

Today, we met with the school psychologist who administered some more tests (academic, cognitive and social) to evaluate him. There are some preset school district standards that have to be met in order to even consider advance placement. Those tests took about 90 minutes and after a brief lunch break, I met with the principal and the psychologist to discuss the results.

What can I say? My kid's a smartie. His IQ level is about 122 (the average is 100). He's reading on a level that would be expected in the middle of second grade (not first). In fact, most of his academic skills are on the level of about a second-grader.

And they wonder why I didn't want him in kindergarten.

The main concern about advancing him would be that he would be the youngest in his class (rather than one of the oldest) and that social difference when he gets a bit older. I'm not that worried about it, since I did it myself and so did Jared (we both are summer babies). The other concern would be athletics, but there again, I'm not too fussed. I have a 5-year-old who's nearly 49 inches tall. He's not going to be short, so I bet most people won't even know he's younger than they are. So, with everyone's consent, we've added Timothy to Mrs. Greene's first grade class. He starts Monday.

Sorry for such the long post, but it's so nice to be right. I feel like Uncle Vernon in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" where he says (ice cream spoon raised for emphasis), "Justice!" Indeed.

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Comments

  1. JanetAugust 21, 2008 at 6:08 PM

    Never any doubt for me. That's a great picture of Timothy. It really captures his personality. I like your Harry Potter reference, too. Has school actually started there? Our kids start on Monday.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sandy BrunsonAugust 21, 2008 at 6:29 PM

    What a great posting! I enjoyed reading it and I agree that you are absolutely justified in the "I told you so" attitude. I also agree with Janet...nice Harry Potter reference.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 21, 2008 at 8:07 PM

    Those "I told you soes" can be sooo gratifying. Glad the decision has been made and action taken relatively quickly. Timothy should enjoy first grade - and Mrs. Greene should enjoy him. I look forward to hearing about his adventures.

    It is a great picture of Timothy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jenny RAugust 22, 2008 at 1:00 PM

    VINDICATION!!! I am glad they saw the light. I agree - great pic!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BarbaraAugust 22, 2008 at 8:59 PM

    Well, I would say "I told you so" as well. I talked to Jared some time ago about doing something so that Timothy could go to first grade this year instead of kindergarten. I'm so glad the school district cooperated and recognized the need to move him along. He may even be bored in first grade, but at least there will be things he can do. Good Job!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Megan Campbell CarterSeptember 7, 2008 at 5:29 PM

    I'm glad they got him into first grade, because Timothy is very smart. Renae is a great teacher! It is very unfortunate to have had to do all that testing, but laws are laws in the public school system now. I had to do it with a student 2 years ago.

    ReplyDelete

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