Step 1: Read this post
Ah, those formative years. I had a significantly different educational experience in elementary school. I don’t really remember much of my school career before my parent’s divorce. I went to my (suburban) neighborhood school. Kindergarten was kindergarten. I was in a 1st/2nd grade class for 1st grade, and my dad later told me that some school administrator told my mom that I wasn’t bright enough to be in that class, which sent my mom into such a fit that the administrator recanted and put me in the class. I knew none of this. I do know that in 2nd grade the teacher was grateful to have a handful of us from this class, and actually gave us independent study projects (which I didn’t grasp…I just copied chapters out of the classroom encyclopedias). This was the first year I remember seeing students bussed in from the city. But, my parents separated the fall of that year, and I moved to Los Gatos with my mom.
The Los Gatos school district was pretty small at that time. There were, I think, two elementary schools, one junior high, and one high school. In my elementary school, there was only one class of each grade (until sixth grade, and then there was a fifth/sixth class). I remember my 2nd grade teacher commenting that I was very advanced in reading (I was placed in the highest reading group immediately). But I don’t remember being anything other than average. The school did have a GATE program: those who were registered as such got special classes in the afternoon a few days a week (I have no idea in what) while the rest of us had a reading hour (and I was just as happy to read my book, thank you). I was either never tested or had not performed well enough to be considered for GATE. My fourth grade teacher was a new teacher who had all sorts of new teaching ideas. One of these was group teaching in math. We had workbooks to work through and tested out of each one into the next level. Here is the first time I remember being advanced – I made it to pre-algebra before the school year ended . There was only one other girl in my class who reached the same level. It was the first year I actively worked towards straight A’s.
While I was not considered for GATE classes, the school still had a number of programs that were open to all the students. We all got science classes for a couple years. In fourth grade, we all got a semester of violin; in fifth in recorder. There was a violin and band program that was district wide.
I was not officially “gifted” until junior high. It was decided to send me to San Diego for junior high, and for the first time, I remember a parent advocate for my education. I don’t know how my dad researched all the schools that he did, but he decided to enroll me in an IB feeder school. In order to be guaranteed a place in the “advanced” or pre-IB classes, he was told that I would have to test into the GATE program. He sent me to be tested. I remember this as being a HORRIBLE experience. I don’t even know why, now. I remember it being a written exam (like an SAT), I remember the room being really crowded and hot. I remember that I was completely pissed at him for enrolling me in this school, taking me away from all my friends (which was totally unfair…the decision was, I’m sure, mutual for both my parents). When he picked me up after the test, I was in tears. “Don’t ever make me do that again,” I begged. I didn’t test into the program. My first class of 7th grade was Social Studies, with at least 50 students in it, split between two teachers. Within two weeks of starting school, I was sent to the library to be retested again. This test was totally different. It was not written; it was a set of puzzles. I enjoyed it (and apparently passed it, because I obtained my “gifted” status), but I went home and railed at my poor father anyway. He denied any knowledge of it (which may be true – looking back, it’s entirely possible that an administrator was just trying to cross his t’s in order to ensure me a spot in the class), but pointed out that with so many kids in the class, not being “gifted” could mean getting dropped, and what was the point of that?
Unlike Yolanda’s experiences (or rather her parent’s) with administrators, I don’t really remember my parents having to manage my education until junior high. To be fair, I’m not sure there was much to manage in Los Gatos, and I’m not totally sure it would have happened if it needed to. My mom and I were dealing with lots of issues around the dissolution of my parent’s marriage that I suspect the teachers forgave me a lot (I was the only kid with divorced parents in my new 2nd grade class, never mind my mom’s partner choice). I did get the distinct impression, though, that my junior high WANTED me. They wanted my middle-class, white face. They wanted a student that had a high probability of passing into the IB program and taking home that IB diploma, and going off to college. They wanted that success story, which is exactly what I gave them. The whole experience leaves me feeling manipulated and used. And here is where I hate NCLB. I actually loved the IB program, and I made friends that I have to this day in those classes. I would love to see all schools be able to offer this curriculum, but they can’t. Not only is it expensive, it doesn’t fit in the generic framework. You have to have some pretty fabulous teachers and administrators to punch and mold it so it will fit, and that makes my heart sink. There shouldn’t have to be such back flipping in order for students to read Fuentes or Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Atwood. An administrator shouldn’t have to test and retest an obviously smart pupil to guarantee him or her access to advances classes. Instead, everyone is boxed into this milktoast curriculum that teaches to the lowest common denominator. It makes me weep.
