A mediocre 95
This whole G&T thing... look, I taught kindergarten and first grade, was trained in GT ed, was in GT myself, I know what GT looks like. Not to say that I'm some sort of expert, but I do have experience. Being GT doesn't always mean your kid is the brightest in the room (I often say the dumbest things)- it means they think differently. Some GT kids are incredibly smart, some... are not. But they *think* differently. Kids who *don't* qualify for GT aren't necessarily "not as smart" as the ones who do. I have plenty of friends who, growing up, were not in the program and could spank my rear academically on any given day. But alas the stigma remains.
So here's where I get upset. I went to this Gifted and Talented meeting back in November, because I, like all parents, believe my daughter is a genius. Its the way it should be. You *should* think you're kid is brilliant, because that's just the way good parents behave. I got out of this meeting and walked into, literally, a sea of people handing me pamphlets and information about their test prep programs gauranteed to help get my child into the GT program. I mean, wouldn't I want the best for my child? And what kind of parent would I be if I didn't take advantage of every opportunity available to my child? Don't I want her to be the next Doogie?
I subsequently through all the pamphlets in the trash before I reached the bus. I believe my child should be placed where she will learn best- whether it be if she qualifies for special education, speech, mainstream classroom, or gifted and talented. Plus, she's four. At the time, she was three. And at a birthday of December 31, 2007, she technically, according to the rest of the normal nation who has a cutoff date of Sept 1, shouldn't have even been tested until NEXT year. My kid has a life awaiting her full of test prep and, honestly, I don't think its right to prep your kid for this kind of test. Having a child who does NOT qualify for GT doesn't mean your kid isn't as smart as the next; it doesn't mean they will not be as successful in life; it doesn't mean you are any less of a parent. It just means they don't think "in that way."
A dear friend of mine passed me this article this evening, which was infuriating http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/nyregion/as-ranks-of-gifted-soar-in-ny-fight-brews-for-kindergarten-slots.html?_r=1. The school which is considered "the best", Anderson, you cannot even apply to if your kid didn't score in the 99%. 99%!!! There are over 2,000 kids, who scored 99%, vying for 100 spots at that school. Most of them, like my daughter, are FOUR YEARS OLD. This is insane. You have to bring a copy of your child's test report with you to the open house. You may not come to the open house without the magical 99. If you and your spouse arrive seperately, by God you both better have a copy because the late arriving parent (shame on you!!) will NOT under ANY circumstances be allowed entrace to such a celestial place. And you can't get your copy back. But they can do this- because you have to have a cutoff somewhere. And there just isn't space. I get it, I understand- not saying there is anything wrong with the school. In fact, I'm kinda sad Gabriela Catalina can't go.
Do you want to know how this works? Its a lottery based on percentages. So, just like the match system for residency, there is a match system for GT. First, all the 99s are lumped together, then there is a lottery. Then the 98s. The the 97s. Then the 96s. And so on. And beCAUSE there is so little space, do you know what this means??? Do the math. Hell has got to freeze over for there to be space for my kid at ANY GT program in the city. Do you know why??? Because she is one of the "lesser intellects" scoring a "measly" 95. There. I said it. 95. (shocked I would admit to a score "so vial" as this???) I was told she was gauranteed entrance to a GT school if I rank all seven for which she is elegible. I'm sorry, how are all the dumber GT kids, all 949 (I live in the district 2 of which they speak), going to fit in the less than 700 spots? You don't have to be GT to figure that one out.
What makes me mad is the number 5 in Brooklyn. Its true. I live in (I think) the wealthiest zip code in the entire country. "I" am not so wealthy (monetarily speaking of course- obviously not the whole money is not everything definition- but go with money for the point of this conversation), but the people who surround us are. And I am amazed every single day how this affects children. And its sad. Not sad for the kids in district 2 whose parents can afford to test prep their kids and pay the almost Kaplan fee to score that 99- but for the other kids in the five boroughs, like in the South Bronx, where not a SINGLE child qualified for an "exclusive school", whose parents DON'T have that kind of money. And its infuriating because those kids who prepped for their 99 (and not all did- not even attempting to suggest that, just saying I know for a fact a lot of them did), take away the spots of the kids who legitamately earned their 96- a score still not high enough to rank in the top tier GT programs, who might not get a spot. Its ludicrous.
You know what? A 95 is a damn good score. As is a 90. And for us, it doesn't matter, because its kindergarten and after kindergarten we will move and then whereever we go outside this city, people will bow down the ingeniusness of my child and hail her whereever she goes. Her name will be "95" with a smiley. Not "95, you can take a bus for two hours and sit a the back of the room, you insufficient little runt."
“We are pleased to see more New York City children qualifying for gifted and talented programs than ever before, a sign that more and more families are interested in sending their children to public schools,” Mr. Thomas said. “We are always strengthening our tests to make sure they continue to provide an accurate reflection of the work our students are doing.”
What else is Mr. Thomas supposed to say? It was the PC thing to do. It would have been unPC for him to stick his nose in the air and say, "well Dahlings its simply like this. Do you have the cash money or don't you?" Anyone can learn a test.
Again, I should clarify, have a great friend here whose kid scored in the 99% and this child did NOT prep- this kid legitamately earned it. So don't get all huffy defensive. I'm just pointing out a simple fact. Its not that they are "more interested in sending their children to public schools." He left out the pressure this city has to make parents nutty so we all feel like we are inadequate if we don't pay the thousands of dollars to get our kids into the best fingerpainting class.
I don't blame the parents for prepping their kids after this; after realizing there really isn't going to be a space for my insufficient 95. Its not a fair test. If we were going to live here after kindergarten, I'd have to prep her for even getting a shot at an "exclusive" school.
So.... here's my question. How many more ulcers would you like me to have? She's been waitlisted for our neighborhood schools. She didn't score high enough on the test to be a member of any "Four Year Olds' Exlusive Club."
What the blob am I supposed to do with my kid next year for school? Oh, wait, I know. I'll stick her outside the window of Anderson so maybe she can breathe in some of that 99 air.
So here's where I get upset. I went to this Gifted and Talented meeting back in November, because I, like all parents, believe my daughter is a genius. Its the way it should be. You *should* think you're kid is brilliant, because that's just the way good parents behave. I got out of this meeting and walked into, literally, a sea of people handing me pamphlets and information about their test prep programs gauranteed to help get my child into the GT program. I mean, wouldn't I want the best for my child? And what kind of parent would I be if I didn't take advantage of every opportunity available to my child? Don't I want her to be the next Doogie?
I subsequently through all the pamphlets in the trash before I reached the bus. I believe my child should be placed where she will learn best- whether it be if she qualifies for special education, speech, mainstream classroom, or gifted and talented. Plus, she's four. At the time, she was three. And at a birthday of December 31, 2007, she technically, according to the rest of the normal nation who has a cutoff date of Sept 1, shouldn't have even been tested until NEXT year. My kid has a life awaiting her full of test prep and, honestly, I don't think its right to prep your kid for this kind of test. Having a child who does NOT qualify for GT doesn't mean your kid isn't as smart as the next; it doesn't mean they will not be as successful in life; it doesn't mean you are any less of a parent. It just means they don't think "in that way."
A dear friend of mine passed me this article this evening, which was infuriating http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/nyregion/as-ranks-of-gifted-soar-in-ny-fight-brews-for-kindergarten-slots.html?_r=1. The school which is considered "the best", Anderson, you cannot even apply to if your kid didn't score in the 99%. 99%!!! There are over 2,000 kids, who scored 99%, vying for 100 spots at that school. Most of them, like my daughter, are FOUR YEARS OLD. This is insane. You have to bring a copy of your child's test report with you to the open house. You may not come to the open house without the magical 99. If you and your spouse arrive seperately, by God you both better have a copy because the late arriving parent (shame on you!!) will NOT under ANY circumstances be allowed entrace to such a celestial place. And you can't get your copy back. But they can do this- because you have to have a cutoff somewhere. And there just isn't space. I get it, I understand- not saying there is anything wrong with the school. In fact, I'm kinda sad Gabriela Catalina can't go.
Do you want to know how this works? Its a lottery based on percentages. So, just like the match system for residency, there is a match system for GT. First, all the 99s are lumped together, then there is a lottery. Then the 98s. The the 97s. Then the 96s. And so on. And beCAUSE there is so little space, do you know what this means??? Do the math. Hell has got to freeze over for there to be space for my kid at ANY GT program in the city. Do you know why??? Because she is one of the "lesser intellects" scoring a "measly" 95. There. I said it. 95. (shocked I would admit to a score "so vial" as this???) I was told she was gauranteed entrance to a GT school if I rank all seven for which she is elegible. I'm sorry, how are all the dumber GT kids, all 949 (I live in the district 2 of which they speak), going to fit in the less than 700 spots? You don't have to be GT to figure that one out.
What makes me mad is the number 5 in Brooklyn. Its true. I live in (I think) the wealthiest zip code in the entire country. "I" am not so wealthy (monetarily speaking of course- obviously not the whole money is not everything definition- but go with money for the point of this conversation), but the people who surround us are. And I am amazed every single day how this affects children. And its sad. Not sad for the kids in district 2 whose parents can afford to test prep their kids and pay the almost Kaplan fee to score that 99- but for the other kids in the five boroughs, like in the South Bronx, where not a SINGLE child qualified for an "exclusive school", whose parents DON'T have that kind of money. And its infuriating because those kids who prepped for their 99 (and not all did- not even attempting to suggest that, just saying I know for a fact a lot of them did), take away the spots of the kids who legitamately earned their 96- a score still not high enough to rank in the top tier GT programs, who might not get a spot. Its ludicrous.
You know what? A 95 is a damn good score. As is a 90. And for us, it doesn't matter, because its kindergarten and after kindergarten we will move and then whereever we go outside this city, people will bow down the ingeniusness of my child and hail her whereever she goes. Her name will be "95" with a smiley. Not "95, you can take a bus for two hours and sit a the back of the room, you insufficient little runt."
“We are pleased to see more New York City children qualifying for gifted and talented programs than ever before, a sign that more and more families are interested in sending their children to public schools,” Mr. Thomas said. “We are always strengthening our tests to make sure they continue to provide an accurate reflection of the work our students are doing.”
What else is Mr. Thomas supposed to say? It was the PC thing to do. It would have been unPC for him to stick his nose in the air and say, "well Dahlings its simply like this. Do you have the cash money or don't you?" Anyone can learn a test.
Again, I should clarify, have a great friend here whose kid scored in the 99% and this child did NOT prep- this kid legitamately earned it. So don't get all huffy defensive. I'm just pointing out a simple fact. Its not that they are "more interested in sending their children to public schools." He left out the pressure this city has to make parents nutty so we all feel like we are inadequate if we don't pay the thousands of dollars to get our kids into the best fingerpainting class.
I don't blame the parents for prepping their kids after this; after realizing there really isn't going to be a space for my insufficient 95. Its not a fair test. If we were going to live here after kindergarten, I'd have to prep her for even getting a shot at an "exclusive" school.
So.... here's my question. How many more ulcers would you like me to have? She's been waitlisted for our neighborhood schools. She didn't score high enough on the test to be a member of any "Four Year Olds' Exlusive Club."
What the blob am I supposed to do with my kid next year for school? Oh, wait, I know. I'll stick her outside the window of Anderson so maybe she can breathe in some of that 99 air.
Comments
Post a Comment