Now This Is More Like It

I was putting some of Stephen’s things away when I noticed that he got a new batch of flash cards. Since I have been very disappointed in the level of his previous words, I didn’t expect much from these. I was very surprised and pleased to see:

thousand
difficult
I’ve
describe
you’ll
separate
according
throughout
variety
particular
column
experiment
knowledge
original
indeed
chief
represent
develop
twenty
familiar
community
electricity
experience
purpose

When I asked him about the words, he didn’t remember where they came from, but he knew them all with no hesitation. I wanted him to take them to his teacher and let her know that I approve of these words for him, but for some reason he didn’t want to do that. I’m pretty sure it is because he didn’t want to be insulting. Like my brothers and father, my son has the ability to not say stupid and insulting things to people. Unfortunately, I don’t have that ability.

Personally I don’t think this list of words should be given to every first grader, but Stephen isn’t like most first graders. I used to work in a learning lab for adults returning to school after a long time (sometimes decades) and there were a bunch of computerized tests the students would take to determine their reading and learning levels. I always thought there should be something like for school age children.

While I don’t think it would be a good idea to take Stephen and put him in a higher grade the way the system is current configured, I would love to see the first month or so of the school year devoted to this sort of placement testing. After that the students could be grouped according to learning ability. Age would also be factored in because we don’t want slow teenagers in the same class with quick preteens. Despite the same learning ability, the maturity level might be drastically different.

I just wish I had the time and the knowledge to go the homeschooling route, but the main drawback with that would be Stephen developing stronger social skills. I know where my weaknesses are.