My little scholar

Logan is getting ready to start fourth grade. He will be ten years old in November, he is thin but tall for his age, he is extraordinarily smart and can interact with any adult, but he is still an extremely silly nine year old boy.

This past school year he was placed the 'high ability' program. This meant being in a mixed third/fourth grade REACH classroom following a fourth grade curriculum, with fourth grade field trips, standards, and specials. We were asked to teach him multiplication/division prior to the first day of third grade and there was some differentiation in reading, math, and spelling. Logan made straight A's, tested very well, and rarely had any homework, all while he was sick three months of the last school year. Late in the school year they announced that the high ability program was being revised. They are switching from a 'classroom model' to a 'cluster model'. The incoming fifth/sixth graders will still be in a 'classroom model' mixed class for one more year, but the incoming third/fourth graders will move to the 'cluster model' and be grouped in classrooms with their age group peers. The problem with this is the fourth graders are basicly repeat the same fourth grade curriculum, with a few changes in materials and a few additional enrichment projects. For many of the students this will be fine, probably a good idea to review concepts they had difficulty with last year, but for Logan this far from appropriate. I am not one of those parents that just thinks my child is the best - Logan really, truly is amazingly smart. The Asst. Principle of Logan's school put it this way, "Logan is like having a special education student on the other end of the spectrum." We are currently in the process of having him assessed for giftedness in hopes it will help us to know how to meet his needs emotionally and academically.

I have spoken with the school a few times now, but there is no clear plan for a kid like Logan. No way to guarantee he will be challenged and stimulated in a classroom that is following the same standards/curriculum as last year. Our options are limited now that school starts in a week and we don't have the personal funds for private schools. At this time we are planning on enrolling him in one of the state's two public virtual schools for fourth grade, with hopes of returning to 'brick & mortar" school next year. I worry about whether or not we are making the right decision for Logan's future. I wish I could look into the future and see that our choices are going to give him all he needs to grow and learn. We cannot be afraid of trying new things - who knows, this may turn out to be the perfect learning situation for Logan and if its not, we can always go back to the local, traditional public school.

If you have any ideas, tips, or recommendations please leave me a comment or send me an email. I hope you're having a great day! Go outside, enjoy the sunshine, and all the beauty around in your life. I'll post again soon.