Second grade was a different experience. Hatty was placed in an ICT class: an Integrated Co-Teaching class, which means that it is a class purposely designed to mix students with additional needs and the general population. The school did not explain this to me, I just found it very odd that there were two teachers as well as an assistant in the class and I suppose it was meant to be obvious. In an ICT class up to 40% of the children will have some registered additional need.
Schooling is, and most likely will always be, a hot-button and controversial issue. All I can really say is that it was a good, positive experience and my advice to anyone concerned about having an ICT place is not to worry about it.
There is no denying it was a less demanding experience compared to first grade but I think that was more to do with our first grade teacher being more of an outlier. It definitely made it easier for me having much less homework to do and although we always did the bonus mathematics on Tuesday/Thursday it was still a net decrease on last year's weekly effort.
At the end of the year an opportunity came up to move her into a Gifted and Talented program. We have agonized over this because it means moving her from her current school to another about 15 blocks away. She was upset at first but is being brave, much more brave than me because every time I think about it I feel queasy. The school itself has had a mixed past: it has been given a brand new building, new management and the G&T program is there precisely to encourage people like us to move our children there. In addition to the more demanding program it will mean that we do not need to look for a middle school because it goes all the way to 8th grade.
There is no manual for how to raise your children so let's see how it goes and adjust as we go. In the meantime it is good to reflect on a successful end to second grade at PS87.
It was an extremely busy last week. On Monday I attended the final demonstration from her Judo class in which she was promoted from Yellow belt to Yellow-tip.
Tuesday was the final exhibition of their work: called a 'Publishing Party'. Her work was called 'The Fruity Disaster' and was dedicated to her brother. We were also 'treated' to a rendition of 'Ode to Joy' on the recorder.
Wednesday brought the school picnic, which as usual was held in Riverside Park.
On Thursday it was time for the demonstration from her hip hop class.
On Friday we said goodbye to PS 87. In the evening it was her best friend's birthday party at Chelsea piers jungle gym so I did not see her again till nearly 9pm.
On Saturday we took the train to JFK and headed out to Arizona to meet the rest of the family.
Schooling is, and most likely will always be, a hot-button and controversial issue. All I can really say is that it was a good, positive experience and my advice to anyone concerned about having an ICT place is not to worry about it.
There is no denying it was a less demanding experience compared to first grade but I think that was more to do with our first grade teacher being more of an outlier. It definitely made it easier for me having much less homework to do and although we always did the bonus mathematics on Tuesday/Thursday it was still a net decrease on last year's weekly effort.
At the end of the year an opportunity came up to move her into a Gifted and Talented program. We have agonized over this because it means moving her from her current school to another about 15 blocks away. She was upset at first but is being brave, much more brave than me because every time I think about it I feel queasy. The school itself has had a mixed past: it has been given a brand new building, new management and the G&T program is there precisely to encourage people like us to move our children there. In addition to the more demanding program it will mean that we do not need to look for a middle school because it goes all the way to 8th grade.
There is no manual for how to raise your children so let's see how it goes and adjust as we go. In the meantime it is good to reflect on a successful end to second grade at PS87.
It was an extremely busy last week. On Monday I attended the final demonstration from her Judo class in which she was promoted from Yellow belt to Yellow-tip.
Tuesday was the final exhibition of their work: called a 'Publishing Party'. Her work was called 'The Fruity Disaster' and was dedicated to her brother. We were also 'treated' to a rendition of 'Ode to Joy' on the recorder.
Wednesday brought the school picnic, which as usual was held in Riverside Park.
On Thursday it was time for the demonstration from her hip hop class.
On Friday we said goodbye to PS 87. In the evening it was her best friend's birthday party at Chelsea piers jungle gym so I did not see her again till nearly 9pm.
On Saturday we took the train to JFK and headed out to Arizona to meet the rest of the family.
