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Liam's teacher adores him; I met with her today for the quarterly conference. He's polite, everybody wants to play with him, he's smart, he's funny. Not to dismiss these things, but I sort of expect them: he's extraordinary, and since I didn't grow him from scratch I can say that. I'm more interested in what I don't know.
What I didn't know was that Liam scored in the 64th percentile on the standardized test they give to kindergarteners. (Circle the square on the left, and he circles the square on the right, etc.) Maisie, for comparative purposes (though we never compare our children--never, ever) scored in the 96th percentile on the same test at the same age. He has trouble with phonics, still can't name a few letters in the alphabet, doesn't yet make the connection that the letters he writes can be grouped in a specific order that relates to sound and ends up with a word that other people can read.
Now I don't, in determined theory, pay much attention to academics at age 5. Academics come. Social is important now--I know that. And Liam enjoys learning, and he'll learn all this stuff. I know it, I know it.
But hey, it's my blog and here I can tell the truth: I'm embarrassed that he scored so poorly. The truth is, I don't give a shit about the social stuff.
posted by I n g e r @ Wednesday, November 16, 2005
10 Comments:
Ok, but don't stress over a test that was given at the beginning of Kindergarten. Who knows why he scored, what you term low, but hey many of my kids wished that they could score in the 69%. HELL, their parents would think that they are college bound. HELL, I would be doing cartwheels if some of my class scored that high.
I will say that at this point it is about socializing!!!! Kiran is to shy at times and that bothers me.
Hang in!!!
Mary
I can imagine that as a parent you want your child to excel in everything, but I wouldn't pay too much attention to those test scores if I were you.
I started off in the slower reading group in 1st grade and ended up in all honors classes in high school.
The social is just as important as the academics and don't worry, they will come in due time as well.
I almost thinks its better when a kid has to work a little harder for his grades. The study habits he learns now, will help in high school and beyond. It's much harder when things are easy in the beginning and then all of a sudden you have to learn how to study.
Oh darling...Human is as human is to be. We love you for your truth.
And it will all come. It will.
STB
it can be hard when the birth order is as your children's is...i think girls just naturally test better than boys, and are all around more geared to school in general...pay those test scores no mind...liam will be just fine, you'll see...
as the wise man says..."all will be revealed"...
when my son was in kindergarten, his class did what's called 'whole language acquisition' instead of phonics. he'd just write little 'stories' (and what a jumble they were--but even all these years later i can still translate them) and 'read' them to me later. it was designed to facilitate the flow of mind to paper without fussing with spelling, grammer, etc.
he ended up being a good writer but terrible speller. so maybe phonics is good too.
at any rate, don't sweat it. IQ ain't the only ruler to measure by, you know.
I am the most human creature that ever was placed on the earth. The geniuses are always more human than the herd. Almost a perfection of humanness is reached in me. This by itself makes me extraordinary. The rarest thing in the world, I find, is the quality of humanness.
Humanity and humaneness are much less rare.
I know I am a genius more than any genius that has lived.
I have a feeling that the world will never know this.
And as I think of it I wonder if angels are not weeping somewhere because of it.
From The Story of Mary Maclane, 1901.
true for you. true for liam.
Inger,
My middle son couldn't even draw a circle until the end of Kindergarten. It was almost literally on the last day of school. I kept it. Blue construction paper with 5 wavy circles. I was so excited that I almost cried. He is now in the gifted program. Don't worry. Don't be embarrassed. He will blossom in his own unique way in his own unique time. You're a great Mom....he has a great foundation. He'll get there.
Hugsss
listen.. those tests are simply ridiculous..
when my oldest son started kindergarten.. he did great on tests.. but.. he couldn't use scissors.
( he had never seen them.. he was the oldest of four kids when he was five.. the last thing i needed was to introduce them to scissors)
thus.. they wanted to send him to a title 1 reading program.
They said that if a child cannot use scissors.. studies showed that they had trouble learning to read.
At that moment in time.. adam was 5 and read on about a third grade level.. ( i used to buy old school readers for them )
When I pointed out that he could read.. they said that was not the point, that he was surely learning disabled in some way.. and that i had no business teaching him to read at home, as it made it difficult for the teachers to keep him engaged.
stupid.. just stupid
all four of my kids began to read at age 3.. and each time i sent them to school the teachers were pissed becuase they were bored with "Miss A" lessons..
HAH! too bad
They all ended up in the ( farcical) gifted and talented programs.. and survived it all ..
Liam is fine.. and most likely not interested in their silly test..
worry not!
and take care.. Today is a big day?
sending energy and crossing fingers for you
thanks for your kind thoughts Inger..
I am so with you on this. I have a hard time with testing and ranking children - of course your kids are extrodinary - mine are too!
6 is all too aware that she has been relegated to the 'mediocre' group in her class. She knows which tests are deemed for the 'smart' kids and which are for the 'less advanced'. It drives her nuts! She has had melt down crying fits at home "I don't want to be average!" Still teachers use their tools to peg the kids. And although this teacher has zoned in on 6's social deficiencies and is working to address them, she has subscribed to the grade 1 teacher's report that 6 has some learning challenges. Imagine the teacher's surprse wen testing 6 in reading (her first one on one reading with the teacher) and she was determined to be an A reader!
4 on the other hand, has her social skills down pat. Cute is her forte - and she is determined to use it to slide out of any academic responsibility. I don't care that she has mastered all her social skills. I would like her to begin to use her brain instead of hiding behind the giggle and wink act!
You know, there is the belief that an "Emotional Quotient" (EIQ) is more valid at predicting success and meaning in life than the "Intelligence Quotient" (IQ). My daughter does very poorly on tests, despite being a great kid in school. Her EIQ is very good though.
~Deb
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