That was AWESOME!!

That was Awesome!!

My son is a gifted LD student.  A few short months ago, ‘awesome' would have been the last word he would have used to describe school.  Three months into grade six, we were losing him.  He was disengaged from classroom instruction, slumped in his desk, not listening, not caring about his grades.  His teacher was frustrated.  I was frustrated. 

This week I picked Maxx up from his current gifted program, architecture and design. "How was it?" I asked him. 

"AWESOME!!".

Hmmm, I thought.  Why is that I never hear that when I pick him up from his ‘regular' school?  I asked him if he could tell me what the difference is between the gifted programs, and his regular class.

He thought for a bit.

"Well", he said.  "It's like swimming pools.  Regular class is like a small pool, about one car-length wide, by two car-lengths long.  It's cold.  It doesn't have a diving board.  Gifted class is like a huge pool with slides, and waves and it's filled with floaty toys". 

Maxx's swimming pool analogy might seem to suggest that the gifted programs are just about fun.  I've witnessed that they are really about engaged learning.. 

Although it isn't currently feasible to offer full-time gifted programming to our North Shore children, we are fortunate to have the programs and the resources that are currently available. 

This term there are more gifted programs available to Maxx than previously - so he's having an opportunity to learn in his own way and on topics that engage him. In his regular classroom, his LD issues prevented him grasping some ideas, particularly in math. But after-school tutoring has completely engaged him.  He even asked for an extra tutoring session this week! 

His teacher was willing to work with a suggestion from his gifted instructor.  Maxx was offered an opportunity to create a self-directed project on a topic of his choosing.  The idea was to let him learn in a self-directed manner.  He chose to do a project on the perils of smoking.  His classroom teacher isn't always happy about the amount of time he's away from her class, but I witness that I now have a child who is now much more engaged with the process of learning. 

In North Vancouver, the GCABC LMG has been producing a series of ‘Super Saturdays' that I wrote about in our last newsletter.  January's session featured both Junkology and a mock trial, facilitated by David Fai, a criminal lawyer who is also father of a gifted child.  Maxx's prosecution team presented such a compelling case that the jury found Goldilocks guilty as charged.

Maxx ran up to me--

"Mom that was awesome!!"

Encouraged by his level of enthusiasm (and imagining a potential criminal lawyer in the making) I took Maxx out of his regular class the following Monday for a trip to Supreme Court to watch a trial in progress--Betty Krawcyk's contempt of court case, from the Eagle Bluff protests last year. 

Maxx was fascinated by the entire process and his engagement has greatly increased his understanding.  Since the court visit we have been following Betty's case in the paper. Having spent time in court listening to the opposing arguments  Maxx now really feels part of the story.

He chose to write a letter to the court in support of Betty Krawckyk.  During the sentencing hearing, his letter was read.  As he was the only child in the courtroom, it was apparent to the 60-odd people in the viewing gallery that he was the author.  He was approached by several environmentalists and journalists to discuss his views following the hearing, and was interviewed on camera by CBC.   Quite an empowering and enlightening experience. 

For Maxx, North Vancouver District's  gifted programming, GCABC conferences -- we both attended and LOVED the recent Bright Horizons conference -- GCABC Super Saturdays,  tutoring, a bit of home schooling, have all supported a transition that is still ongoing.   The challenges shift from day to day, but I know that the gifted program is working when I hear my child come from a session and exclaim:

"That was AWESOME"