I had advanced reading groups through 2-4 grade, and a full on gifted program for 5th and 6th grade. Spent two days a week at a separate school with other kids. To be honest, the best part was the socialization at the gifted school. Everybody was on a more or less equal footing coming in and you weren't pegged with certain roles as "the smart one" in class. Everybody was the smart one.

My prep school just advanced us in classes to the next year (we had a strange 1/2-yearish setup) until you were socially adrift and then dropped you down one. My first high school really didn't care, and my second high school expected you to take courses during your lunchtime and to go to Oxbridge, so who needs gifted?

I posted this news last night and then deleted it because it seemed silly to leave it up in the midst of the condiment discussion that was going on, but I guess I want to share:

Those shootings in Alabama were in the little town where my family lives. It's utterly bizarre to me that this could happen, like hearing that Godzilla skipped Tokyo to stomp on Mayberry. My parents' office is just behind the all-shot-up hardware store on CNN's picture page. The metal processing plant where the shooter died is maybe a mile-and-a-half from the family farm.

I was reading when I was around 3. My mom claims I was born reading. She read to us for hours a day, but now doesn't understand why I have all these books. Anyway, when I went to kindergarten, there were pictures of the alphabet on the wall and the teachers said things like "This is Mr. A." I thought some terrible force was making my parents lock me up with crazy people.

I've always thought I could have done better in college if I'd ever had to stretch before. Having to actually work was a terrible shock to me.

My first year of college was actually easier than my last year of high school. My high school had some good high level classes. My last year I took AP Calc, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP English. Two of the teachers in the AP class had taught at the college level before and the other two had post graduate degrees in their subjects.

At our school they have a reading program where kids can get books with a point value and then take computerized comprehension tests to win the points.

They have something similar at CJ's school, though I'm not aware of prizes. I know the comprehension tests count toward their grade.

CJ did very well on the testing for the G&T program here (called Discovery). He also got 90% on the algebra readiness test he took the same day. The next step is submitting the application - he has 5 questions to complete, I had 3, his math teacher had a page worth of question, his language arts teacher had a page worth, plus we need to submit copies of recent report cards, standardized testing, and such.

After working our way through most of this, the process sure can work to weed out those not willing to jump through the hoops. Though I do wonder how many parents "help" their child with his/her questions instead of letting those answers really reflect the child's ideas.

CJ just has to rewrite his part neatly and then we are ready to submit the whole package. This would put him in advanced english and math classes in 7th grade.

I liked my gifted program, which started in 2nd grade and ended in 8th grade. In fact, I am thinking now that the loss of that program in 9th grade probably contributed to my weird crippling depression that year until I started working on the school paper and doing the musical.

We did some weird things, though, like learn to play chess, have our colors done(?) and write mystery or sci-fi short stories. We also did a fake (acted) murder with a mock trial to start with (I was the defendant) and wrote plays and such. I find it odd now that it wasn't really math/scince based, but I may be misremembering things as we could have divided into groups OR I don't remember any of the math/science things because I did not enjoy them.

The funny thing was that I always went with the math team, even though I was still 3rd string as a senior. It was a social event and all my friends went!

Oh, jeez, Corwood. I was reading a report of that and it sounded like it happened in a tiny town where everyone knew each other. How devastating.

Most of the crummy rentals we lived in when I was a kid had wood paneling -- you don't have to paint it between tenants.

No, but if smokers live there the only way to get rid of the smell is to wash the yellow film off of the paneling.

OMG, Corwood! That's really scary! I haven't read much about what happened, just...that it happened. Are you freaking out? Is your family? I know when things happen somewhere I've been I'm always like "I know that place, I've been there" and it's not usually anyplace THAT small/meaningful/homey or anything THAT upsetting. Eeesh. I hope everyone you know is safe. What an awful thing.