Dear Teacher,
My husband and I spoke after your phone call this morning
and I had a chance to speak with Carolyn after school. This conversation seems to have created more
questions than answers at this time. You
effectively side-stepped the question of why the level for Carolyn’s RazKids
was reset in the fall when she came to school having completed the initial
level. I looked at it just now and not
only was it reset, but the current level is in fact lower than where she
started the year. For a child that
scored 14 points below the 3rd grade qualifying score for the gifted
program as a 1st grader, I am dumbfounded as to why she would be
held back from progressing. Once her
level was reset, she lost all interest in reading on there. And I can’t disagree with her, what’s the
point of doing the work if the teacher is going to arbitrarily set your level
anyway? Your solution of giving her an
assignment to compare 3 digit numbers since she knows her doubles seems
pointless. She was able to compare such
numbers in kindergarten. Will she at any
point this year get anything that is even slightly challenging for math? Something has been misunderstood as well – I was
informed this morning that we don’t use centimeters to measure for science in
the US. I am praying that was a
misunderstanding since it as far from the truth as one could get.
Can you provide evidence of why you say Carolyn is
struggling to ask and answer appropriate questions for reading group? She explained exactly what “thick” and “thin”
questions are to me in 1 minute, then provided an example. She did complain that the room is very loud
and that her group does not answer any of the questions they write. But you have told her over and over again
that it’s more important to listen to others, so she’s letting them decide what
to do. She has a very strong sense of
right and wrong and I can tell that you have beat her down this year so she no
longer wants to intervene in anything.
This deeply saddens me and makes me angry that your influence over my
daughter has changed who she is. We need
you to stop trying to change her social abilities, your methods are not
productive.
It seems from the conversation that you don’t really know my
daughter. I don’t understand how you can
spend 5 months in a classroom with her and yet know so little about her true
abilities. We sat just this weekend and
discussed who the hero in Frozen is and why.
It was an amazing conversation where we came up with 3 different
possibilities. But apparently that type
of interaction is not being had in the classroom – because you have emphasized so
much that she no longer feels comfortable to share.
I have a hard time believing the “promises” that were
offered to my husband, since very few things have so far been followed through
on this school year. In October at
conferences we were told that a book list would be sent home shortly. It’s nearly February and had I not spent my
own time looking, Carolyn would have had no upper level picture books at
home. We reached out and were
ignored. Also at conferences we were
promised that there would be opportunities for enrichment throughout the
year. When we look at the first 5
months, that has yet to happen once.
When my husband brought it up today he says you were confused by the
discussion. Instead of sending home work
on math facts that she has already clearly shown proficiency in, send home
something with facts she still needs to work on. Since she already knows how to write how to
books (they spent 6 months in kindergarten doing so), let her do something
else, or make sure she’s spelling every word right.
I cannot believe how disappointing of an experience this has
been so far with district 34. I grew up
in Glenview and we moved here for the schools.
Yet we have had to fight every step of the way for Carolyn to receive
anything. We were promised last year
that the gifted teacher would be working with the first grade during reading
time. Yet there is no evidence of this
happening. I have tried to work with the
teachers, but we’re getting no response.
Every time we ask questions we’re told “this is how we do it.” I am mad that I spent the money to move to
this town and pay taxes when the school won’t provide a proper education for my
child. The district website states that
gifted children need just as many resources as those struggling. But not a single resource has been extended
to a child that has scored in the 99.9% for reading on a nationally normed test
and in the 96% for math. I don’t know
where we go from here. But if we don’t
start to get some sort of movement from the school with proof of how our child
is properly being serviced, we will start to move up the ranks. I know that other elementary schools in the
district are providing for their students.
Do we have to petition to have her moved schools so she can get what she
needs? What is it she needs to show that
you aren’t seeing? Can I send
information about dealing with gifted students?
They think differently, they act differently, they respond
differently.
No comments:
Post a Comment