G is for....Gracie is Gifted!!!

Yes, you read that right!

Warning: Conspicuous Parental gloating. Read with caution!

Today I had my tri-annual parent teacher conference. You know, where you sit in little chairs in your child's classroom while the teacher tells you all about what they are learning, where they are strongest and where they need improvement.

Ok, so first I have to say I have serious "teacher anxiety." Some subconscious impulse in my brain tells me that I'm going to get in trouble for passing notes or whispering to Sarah. If I know the teacher well enough I get over it. Like Gracie's kindergarten teacher in Pullman was a good friend of mine and her kindergarten/first grade teacher in South Carolina I got to know on a first name basis after a year and a half working together. Not to mention she was almost a decade younger than me. I know, scary. But I digress....

Gracie's second grade teacher....is much older than me and reminds me of a composite drawing of all my elementary school teachers combined.

So there I am, sitting in the little chair at the little desk waiting to be told I can't pass notes anymore. We go over her papers. She's doing great in math, reads at a 6th grade level but I am assured that she can read much higher. Perhaps not comprehend the material but can read at an 9th grade level "at least." She told me the highest the test goes is sixth grade but Gracie is higher. Ok...good. She reads 182 words a minute and can comprehend what she read. Good. Very good.

She told me she is sensitive and mature, kind, considerate, organized, focused and responsible. Ok, I know most of these things...however the 8 year old girl who lives in this house hasn't cleaned her room in roughly 8 years, and is slightly spastic and hyper. But I'm glad to know at school at least, she is "organized, focused and responsible." Especially considering my biggest gripe from teachers was I daydreamed to much and wasn't organized.

So far, so good.

So then she tells me areas that need attention. Handwriting. Surprise. It's a genetic trait. My husband writes like a brilliant doctor on crack and my teachers always got after me about sloppy penmanship. Her teacher noted that Gracie seems to be in a "race" to be done the fastest. So she writes sloppy in her effort to be first.

Could be worse.

Then she pulls out the test scores. Recently they took a gifted program cognitive abilities test. Guess what, Gracie is in the 98% in the nation!
She is officially "gifted!" It's on her permanent record and everything!
As if I were somehow slow in comparison, she spelled it out for me. "If you take 100 random students from all over the country, she would be smarter than 98" I had to laugh a little. I'm sure the drool puddle and mouth agape may have made her think I wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box, but I assure you, I was just stunned.

Next year she will take part in their gifted student program and as her teacher kindly pointed out, is on the right path to "Harvard or MIT" Wow! MIT and she's only in second grade!!!

Ok, so she will have to actually finish elementary school first. Then high school.....but Wow!
My baby is like, all smart and stuff! I for some unknown reason am having a total Bill and Ted moment trying to describe it. But I am unbelievably proud of her.

Congratulations Gracie! You Rock!!!!