Warning: Extremely Petty Gleefulness Ahead

[Guest]

I'm bad. Very, very bad. Let me explain.

Our daughter is in gifted at school. She loves the class, looks forward to the writings, the discussions, the unique assignments, etc. She loves her friends, feels very much at ease in that situation; this is her comfort group. Everyone needs their comfort group, yes?

Enter the drama.

A very mean girl, who has looked for opportunities to bully our child whenever possible (an Asperger's kid is easy pickings for bullies) has been attempting to get into gifted. They've been doing the testing over several weeks, she's been boasting about joining the class, blah blah blah, and quite frankly we've been dreading the thought of this horrid little witch ruining the comfort group for our daughter.

But we found out today from friends that this mean girl didn't make it in. She didn't score high enough on the tests. (insert petty glee here)

She is probably very disappointed, and I am sorry for that.

However, now she will not have the chance to ruin gifted for OUR daughter. And I am NOT sorry for that. (insert sigh of relief)

An interesting side note to this: Was it our daughter who brought this news home to us? No. Even though this must be the buzz at school among her group, she didn't let us know what was happening.

And we also found out our daughter is a finalist in the school spelling bee. Did she tell us? Nope. (shaking my head in confusion)

But confused or no, I'm still gleeful.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Hey, I don't blame you one bit.
Both my kids were in gifted programs- and there were disruptive, bullying children in class right along with them, that sometimes made it impossible to get a day's work done.
It sucked.

 

[Guest]

My son has just been diagnosed with very mild Aspergers..

You're right about the target thing..

 

[BlackShanglan]

Very glad for you, Sarah, and for your child. It's wonderful that she has found school to be a source of nurturing, comfort, and joy.

I was in a (very poorly run) G&T program in elementary school, and it was a nightmare. I was too young to know that I should have complained immediately when the teacher left the class alone and unattended for an hour (we were perhaps seven or eigh). It's amazing how children that age behave when there is no one to check them, or even when there is. The class was populated, essentially, by every student whose parents demanded that their child also be placed there (heard that when I wasn't meant to), and the teacher running it lacked the most basic classroom management skills. We rarely knew what we were theoretically meant to be doing, and we were often without an instructor at all. It was a chaotic, pointless warehousing project; we'd have done better in regular classes. It's a credit to my parents that my love of education survived it.

High school was immensely better. What a wonderful progam they had! I've taken college courses that didn't challenge me as much, and the teachers were superb. I'm delighted that your child will continue to have a warm and pleasant experience, Sarah, and I hope for her everything I had in high school.

Shanglan

 

[BlackShanglan]

P.S. - It appears to be the day for petty gleefullness.

 

[SeaCat]

Sarah,

That's great news, and in no way should you be in the least embarassed by your glee.

Having been one of the different ones in High School I know what it is like to be on the end of bullying. (And people wonder why I learned to fight?)

College was a lot better for me. Although I was still the outsider, (Try going to school in a very affluent area when you come from strictly Blue Collar Stock.) I didn't have to deal with the bullying. There I learned the joy of learning.

Good luck to you and most especialy the little one.

Cat

 

[kendo1]

Aw, shucks.

It's great to be proud of your kids.
Every day.

It's not as if we are biased.

 

[Guest]

Aw, shucks.

It's great to be proud of your kids.
Every day.

It's not as if we are biased.

DAMN straight.

Petty or no.

But we haven't even asked our daughter about this. She doesn't know we know, and that's good.

I mean honestly, it wouldn't do for a kid to see her parents jumping up and down with glee in this particular situation.

 

[rgraham666]

Good to hear about the good news, sarahh.

Sigh. when I went to school there were only two types of kids, stupid and normal. I wasn't normal.

 

[R. Richard]

Sweetsubsarah:
I think I understand the situation your daughter is in. I too was an Asperger kid. Despite the fact that I was an Asperger kid, nobody picked on me a second tine, ever.

If I read between the lines, your daughter's problems with her bully are not over. I suspect that your daughter is physically afraid. I would sit you daughter down and find out what the total real situation is. If, as I strongly suspect, your daughter is afraid I would pull on my hobnail boots and go down for a little talk with the powers that be at your daughter's school. I would jump on the desk of the wimp in charge and tell he/she/it politely that, if your daughter is threatened by the bully that you will contact the Mayor, the police, your state representative, your Congressional representatives and the President via written letter. The wimps that run the public schools do not need that kind of trouble. You then make sure that your daughter understands the drill. If your daughter gets in danger, walk/run/sneak away and get to Mommy. Mommy will see that it NEVER happens again. [DON'T ASK the stupid question that my Mother always asked: "Is the other kid dead?" Your concern should be about your daughter, not the other kid."]

JMHO.