OH! If only
this post was about that G&T instead of “Gifted and Talented.” Mel has just
written two posts about making the decision whether or not to put her bright
children into their area’s G&T program or to keep them at their local
elementary school, where they’re happy and doing well. First, I want to say
that I am blessed to even be able to contemplate these choices. My daughter is
healthy, and developmentally on track. She was behind verbally until her
hearing loss was corrected when ear tubes were placed when she was two. But, in
my opinion, she was still within the normal range with her verbal skills before
her surgery. Just on the lower end of the bell curve. Now (take my objectivity
with a grain of salt), I estimate her to be smack in the middle of the curve.
Do I think my kid is wonderful, bright, my own very special snowflake? Of
course I do. She is my joy! The light of my life. But gifted and talented in
the way that NYC tests for? Probably not. Not at not quite four. FOUR!!!! Age
four is when NYC begins testing for it’s G&T program. They can also take
the exam at five, but there are very few spots available for those who don’t start in
G&T in kindergarten. That’s it. There is no other time during their primary
schooling for NYC kids to be tested for G&T. Even though research shows
that it’s not accurate or effective to test at that age. And the test prep!
Tutoring a child at age four (or younger) for a test that is supposed to
indicate whether a child is innately ahead of the curve just feels so wrong. Oh,
and don’t suggest holding my late November birthday kid back a year, even though kindy is the new first grade, don't you know. NYC has
eliminated redshirting completely. Children start kindergarten the calendar year
they turn five. Whether their birthdays are in January or December. They
are then expected to start first grade the calendar year they turn six. So it’s
not an option to send them to a private preschool the year they turn five and
then public kindy the year they turn six. If you want to hold your end of year
kid back a year, private elementary school is your only option.
The air of
competition in NYC regarding kindergarten is insane. Nonetheless, I am grateful
that we don’t live on the skinny island at the center of the city, where test
prep for toddlers for private schools and G&T seems like the norm. There’s
this feeling that if you don’t get your child into the right kindy, his or her
future is DOOMED! Within the middle class contingent in my outer borough
neighborhood there is some of this, but not at the level it is in Manhattan. As
I said before, in my opinion, Sunshine seems perfectly average. She’s a happy,
boisterous, child. Very affectionate, possibly with a higher than average EQ.
She puts a lot of effort into nurturing her baby dolls. “Her wants to be next
to me, or her will cry.” We are lucky to be zoned for excellent elementary
schools. So why am I feeling all this anxiety about the G&T exam, for which
I would have to submit the application by November 8th? What if I’m
missing something? What if she’s gifted and talented in a way that the test
would show, but that I’m not aware of? And we miss this opportunity? Although,
for some of the same reasons Mel wrote about, even if she did test into the
G&T program, I would almost certainly not enroll her in the city’s program.
I do not
want her commuting to school at age 5. I don’t want to have to get her up
earlier in the morning to get on a school bus to go to another neighborhood. I
want her friends to be neighbors. I want her to feel like part of our
community. NYC’s G&T programs are almost all G&T dedicated schools.
Think about what that means in terms of diversity. Our neighborhood is THE most
culturally diverse neighborhood in a culturally diverse city. Our neighborhood
is also a mix of middle class and working poor. This benefits our local schools
immensely. The middle class parents who send their children to the local public
schools tend to be involved, and the percentage of the student population below
the poverty line entitles the schools to additional funding and resources
through the Federal Title 1 program. But, I’ve heard of schools that became
high performing schools thanks to the Title 1 resources, then the middle class
families zoned for the schools began sending their children there, only to have
the percentage of students below the poverty line drop to just below the
percentage to qualify for the extra funding. What happens then? Teachers are
eliminated. Class sizes increase. You get the picture. As this article states,
these schools can become victims of their own success.
I’m
rambling, but all these factors are part of my anxiety. Adding in the
uncertainty of what the Department of Education will change next. I'm hoping our next mayor will shake up the DOE. I know what my
first choice is for Sunshine for kindergarten, but due to overcrowding, I have
no way of guaranteeing that, even though my first choice is one of our zoned
schools.
Pass me that
gin and tonic NOW!
