STRANGER got a lovely new five-cup review from Coffee Time Romance. Liegh wrote, "Action, steamy love scenes, and science fiction… this book has it all. From the first word to the very last, I was riveted. Annie and James were so well written that the reader feels like they know the characters personally. Big thumbs up." So far that's three reviews, all five stars. I'm very pleased. I note that most reviewers really like the characters, who were my favorite part of the book too.
Yesterday my first-grader brought home an easy reader booklet for "homework," with sentences like "Is this your big dog? Yes, this is my big dog." The problem is that my daughter reads at a rather high level (she read all the Harry Potter books over the summer, and is able to discuss them), and I sent a note to the teacher the VERY FIRST DAY explaining this fact. (I received an acknowledgement, so I know the teacher read my note.) When I asked my daughter what she thought of the "big dog" booklet, she said, and I quote directly, "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt." *g* So I politely sent a followup email to the teacher reminding her that my DD reads at a high level, and suggesting that an objective reading comprehension test be done and more appropriate reading materials assigned.
My oldest child was an advanced reader, too, but she was also advanced in math and everything else, so eventually we just skipped her a grade and put her in the gifted program, where she is fairly well adjusted. The second child is an advanced reader, but honestly, she's not the brightest bulb in the string in other subjects:-). I'm not sure what to do with her, exactly, but I do know I'm not going to let my kid sit and be bored out of her mind. I know teachers don't have time to construct a separate curriculum for each child, but I do want to see an effort being made to actually TEACH her something, rather than drifting in a cloud of boredom while the rest of the class learns. Is that too much to ask? I think not...
My sister, twelve years my junior, has always been the smartest person I've ever known. (Now, common sense is sadly lacking, but hey! That's what she's got me for.)
ReplyDeleteIn elementary school she went to kindergarten in the morning and then third grade math and English in the afternoon. She was advanced a grade later on. Still, by the time she got to high school she was bored out of her mind and getting into trouble. She came to live with me and I pulled her out of traditional high school and moved her to a charter school where she graduated at the age of 16.
It's a shame the school system is not equipped to teach bright children. High school was a wonderful time for me. She had to miss it all. She never went to one dance.
Perhaps your daughter could spend reading time with a more advanced class, or maybe they could cull her reading assignments from a higher grade.
Sorry I took over your blog. This subject is a sore point with me because of all the heartache I went through with my sister and I wanted to help or at least sympathize with your troubles.
My sister was extremely bright too, and she was terribly bored by school. She got into trouble by high school age and never made it through college. Eventually she died young of issues related to problems that started in high school. This is one reason it's extremely important to me to find a good educational situation for my kids-- bright minds shouldn't be wasted. It's not easy, though; teachers tend to assume kids who are ahead have been "hothoused" or have pushy parents who have been waving flashcards at them since birth. They also will tell you that "everyone catches up by third grade," so early readers don't need any sort of educational encouragement. Small wonder everyone catches up to them, if they're given nothing to read but "this is my big dog" and not encouraged to grow as readers. *Sigh* Rant over now:-).
ReplyDeleteIs that why I was always so bored at school? I got into trouble all the time cuz I was broed. Maybe I was / am just really bright! (hehehe)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, it's great to see you paying attention to your childs education like that. I was always bored and in trouble...never knew why...I'm not saying that's the reason..but all I ever was told was that it was because I had "a chip on my shoulder" and that's a direct quote from my grade 6 teacher. I didn't even know what it meant!! LOL Needless to say when I did findout what it meant..I just became more of a troublemaker. :(