Gifted?

Gavin has always been his own person. In fact, both of my kids have always been unapologetically themselves. That's one thing that Mark and I have always encouraged--be yourself, no matter what. Stay true to what you believe, and to what you know is right...even if it's not the most popular thing. Of course it's always easier said than done. As a kid, you want to fit in. You want to be part of the cool kids club. Sadly, I was never part of the cool kids club. I'm pretty sure that Mark did though, so there's always hope for Gav and Lauren. I was a part of the nerdy kids club.

When I was Gavin's age, school came easy for me. I loved school (which probably explains my sado-masochism in going back for my Master's degree amidst the rest of my chaotic life), and I love learning new things. I loved feeling the "a-ha" moment. In California, there is a program called GATE, which stands for Gifted And Talented Education. I was tested for the GATE program in first grade and remained there until high school--by which time, honors classes replaced the GATE classes. I never thought of it as being any different. It just reduced my cool factor a little bit.

This afternoon, I received a phone call from Gavin's teacher. Of course, I looked at the caller ID and immediately thought the worst--that he had either gotten sick or something else. His teacher assured me the second I answered that everything was okay. She said that she needed my permission to have him tested. I was a little confused at first. After all, I used to have bad eyesight at his age as well, so maybe his eyes were a little blurry. Then she told me that she wants to have him tested for the gifted program at school and she needed parental permission in order for the school counselor to test him. I gave my permission and chit chatted for a bit and then hung up.

She told me that often times the student may not actually get into the program, but that it doesn't mean that they aren't gifted--it just means that the State of Louisiana makes it really difficult and kind of weeds out the uber gifted/borderline quirky kids. As I sit thinking about this, I'm really proud of Gav...even if he doesn't make it in. He's a really smart kid and a really good kid. I try not to brag too much about my kids, but I am really proud of him. I know that I am really lucky to be his mom. :)