Three plus A plus A plus more A's Equals... The Fifth Grade... A Tale of Skipping...

Ruthmarie:  I think it can be hurtful to parents to push their kids into being competitive to the rediculous.  Competition is fine, but, just like everything else... it is not fine when it gets so extreme it becomes a negative.

Danielle:  Kids who miss their childhood... end up resenting those who took it from them.  Let their parents live their own dreams.

Missy:  I bet it wasn't easy holding him back, but in retrospect it sounds like it obviously was the best thing for your son.  You gave him the time he needed to grow along with his emotions.  Hooray for you for putting his best interests first.  Way to go, Mom !

Jan:  I think the "Womens Group" is a cool thing.  Such a nice place to post a menopause joke... LOL.  And yes, I will continue to write about whatever I please.  So... you vote like you shop, huh ?  Cool Beans !  Sounds like a good plan.  And, politically speaking, so we cancel each other out.  We could have bigger issues... LOL.  And, sure, I love you "anyway."  You silly goose ! 

Carol:  Disrupting social and emotional growth can be a disaster for many.  And actually, I don't know if I really ever did get the handle on it that I wanted to.  Not much fun as a senior when all the others were driving cars, and there I was... having my mother cart me around.  Talk about wanting to hide !

Karen:  Ahhhh... the "quiet ones."  Ya gotta be careful of those kids... :)  I always enjoyed watching the teachers in the younger grades when they caught on that something they thought would take a certain child forever to learn... because the child was "quiet"... and then after a little effort with the child, they found out that the child already knew way more than they were going to try to teach her.  Cool ! 

Being "promoted" for you went well, with your own personal situation, and with the fact you were tall.  That must have been a bit of a relief for you.  How clear is it in your mind how you felt back then when that was going on ?  I'd love to hear about it, as I am sure others here would too.

I am sorry your nuns had taken too many grumpy pills.  As they say... "sometimes... the best is "nun" too good !"  Sorry for your unpleasantness with the nuns.  I'm glad they gave up. 

Hi Jennifer:  I am really glad you made this comment.  It needs to be talked about.  I'm going to pull your entire quote down here... to make it easier to follow. 

You wrote... "On the other hand, it's not a bad thing to get comfortable with being a bit of an oddball. Each of us is, in one way or another. And those who are not - who are completely normal - are some of the most boring and unaccomplished people I've known. Without challenges, a little discomfort, even a bit of pain, we may never ignite our inner fire. It's all about learning to compensate - the art of which formulates a rich, creative layer within us."

"Would you rather have had it easy? Not me! "

Jennifer, I very much agree with you.  Being an oddball can be fun.  It can be quite an adventure.  But only if you enjoy it.  And sure, each of us is an oddball... each in our own way.  Unique is good.  I remember coming home from school, and asking my mom why some kid in my class kept calling me "weird?"  Mom made sure that I came to learn that "weird" was just another name for "special."  Mom got that one right, doncha think ?  As they say... Why B Normal ?  It also goes along with the city of Austin's slogan of "Keep Austin Weird !"  They have Tee-shirts, and lots of souvenierry-stuff with that quote.  What a boring place the world would be if everyone was "normal."  Thankfully, that is not the case.

Finally, I like your quote of "without challenges, a little discomfort, even a bit of pain, we may never ignite our inner fire."  But... some ignite their inner fires, and grow dramatically, others simply burn out.  It all depends.  Thanks for your comment.  It should spark some additional comments.

 

Chris:  Yes, getting into the school of your choice can be very important.  I am glad you were able to dance around until you and Rhiannon got your wish.  Every child is so different.  Every child is unique.  I remember when I was teaching... when the kids were quietly reading something in class... I'd just sit there and try and imagine the possibilities for each child as they grew older.  They were all so very special.  Skipping a grade can either put the child under unhealthy pressure, or in a situation where they will be positively stimulated.  Everyone is different... thank goodness. 

AJ:  Sure, kids need to learn to be kids.  And usually the best way for them to learn that... is for us to simply let them alone.  As you said, kids learn at different rates.  There are so many different aspects or facets of each child... sort of like facets on the face of a diamond.  Each facet reflects the light, or even refracts it... in a diferent way.  In looking at it in that way... as a child grows... all of these variable-speed facets turn each of them into their own special kind of rainbow.  And, AJ, it is never too late to learn.  But, I, too, and just figuring that out, so not to worry.

Marlene:  You are very welcome.  I really think that this is one of the biggest benefits of Active Rain.  We get to share ourselves with anyone who chooses to read us, and sometimes they even share back with us.  I am glad you found a new perspective here.  Also, my posts seem to pull many excellent comments from my readers... which really makes some of these posts very informative.  But even more than that, the comment threads become a way for all of us to connect... if we wish to... inside and along with each post.

I am so proud of the fact that my posts do not bring an endless series of "way to go, dude, or dudette", or "Nice Post, Karen."  I am sounding kinda motherly, or more likely ""sisterly" here... but I really enjoy the comments to my posts.  Thank you, and thanks to everyone.

Mary:  Skipping a grade can have some serious side-effects... just like being held back.  Thanks for your kind words.  Yes, I understand that you still feel like a fish out of water !  When a fish is out of water... they cannot breathe.  And the feeling you describe... fits right in with that.  I have felt that way too many times.  Sometime I might even write a post about that "chapter" in my life.  Not now... but...

Mike:  From what I know, the Calvert system provides a good curriculum for home schooling.  It appears the subjects areas are well-covered, and that there are a lot of extremely helpful tools for parents to use when they home-school.  The major thing I worry about, though, is the emotional growth, and the short-changing that could/might take place as far as a child's social development.

That may be part of the reason that they made you repeat the eighth grade.  Perhaps they mis-took "reading" your academic levels due to the fact that you were home schooled.  I don't know, I am out of my element, here.  Classroom teaching I know, but I have never really immersed myself in the world of home-schooling. 

As I said above, the main thing I worry about is that the child may end up much too "sheltered" or "protected" from the "outside world."  As a parent, shielding our kids from the world's nastiness can seem to be a plus, but it has been known to backfire.  Once again, each child is different, and the way they come through it totally depends on the child.  Ancient history ?  Nah... you're not that old... LOL.  Mike, thanks for sharing.

Karen:  In many ways, living back then was like living in a time warp.  The year the dear Ursuline nuns skipped me to the fifth grade was 1953.  The television show Ozzie and Harriet was very much the way people lived back then.

I don't think anyone can get even a taste of what it might have been to go through twelve grades of Catholic school unless a person actually lived it.  If it were today, I would have just loved going to a magnet school.  But, then again, so many of the "public" schools around the Fort Worth suburbs are so excellent.  Here is a post I wrote that tells part of why I now feel that way.  I Feel Better About our Country's Future... after Shopping at Borders Tonight.

These days there aren't very many Catholic grade schools around, but there are quite a few "Christian" schools.  If I had elementary school aged children right now... a "Christian" school is the last place I would send them.

Cynthia:  The social adjustment of a child at that age, or at any age in elementary school is in many ways equally as important as the educational side of things.  And yes, the dear Sisters had a lot to do with my work ethic and many of my other skills.  What a great education they provided.  And, gee... I liked it so much... I went back and taught in the Catholic schools for nine more years.  :)

Thesa:  Yes, I know that occasionally parents may find themselves living vicariously through the lives of their children, rather than really think it through, and making a place for all of the areas in which their child needs to grow and needs to be nurtured.  Thanks for your kind comment.  It is my pleasure to share.  Take care...