Sorry, bit of a boast but proud and no-one else to tell

[wandymum]

DS is just finishing his reception year. His teacher told us today that he reads at NC level 2a - which meant nothing to me but having googled I'm now chuffed for him.

We get lots of barbed comments from other mums at school/friends with kids about him being such a 'nerd' and obsessed by books so no-one in real life I can tell who will think this is a positive thing. Hence the slightly boasty post. Sorry.

[iseenodust]

All achievements are worth celebrating however big or small when a child has tried their best.

YouAreWinning has your DS tried the Tom Gates books?

[MrsMelons]

youcouldnevermakeitup - I feel exactly the same, I am sure people who do not know me or DS well think I push him but in reality we do very little academic stuff with him, he comes home and chooses to do his homework and loves to read.

We do support him lots and give him the opportunity to do additional after school things if he wants to but if talking to people (in RL not FB) about him getting a scholarship then I do try and say how lovely it is that he has achieved that with his natural ability rather than often children getting them as they have been pushed and pushed.

[youcouldnevermakeitup]

adeucalione you are so right. DS feels the pressure when other children and parents boast about their sporting prowess. He excels academically and has recently won several awards - but bless him, he has not said a word. I have been congratulated by a few parents and I have simply said 'it is nothing to do with me - it is all down to DS', some parents have said 'oh but you must have done a lot of work with him'. I would love to be able to say 'but it is just natural ability - he is very able',but of course I cannot. If it was drama, music or sport ability I would! I have to put up instead, with being seen as a 'pushy parent'. I've even had some parents contact me to ask for advice as to how their child could do so well...Grrrr.

It is so good to be able to post here and other parents understanding that having a very able child is not just simply one charmed life.

[adeucalione]

What a lovely thread. Congratulations to all of your clever DCs!

Such a shame you can boast in rl (or on facebook!) if your DC gets into a sports team, or an orchestra, or is great at drama, but if their talent is academic you have to keep it quiet.

[CalamityKate]

Wandymum - boast away! That's brilliant - well done your DS! You should be proud of him!

I think it's a shame that people are wary of celebrating their kids' achievements for fear of appearing boasty. I've been dying to post about DS for days but CBA with the inevitable - admittedly probably few - misery guts replies.

[BlackeyedSusan]

you could never make it up... you have to remember that waffles dd is old for year...

waffle... oo hark at you!

i was reading you post about level five... thinking, oh another one... (doh) then read your nn! more congratulations though!

wandymum congratulations! he did really well. you sound so pleased. it is difficult when you can not tell all!

congratulations to mini melon too. it is annoying that they do not test children above a certain level, nor do they teach things that they would learn easily. if they do not look for it they will not find it.

[Periwinkle007]

oh and I did also like the fact she asked ME not daddy (computer programmer!) even though she was sat next to him :o)

[Periwinkle007]

thats fantastic - well done him
and well done to Excuse typos daughter too.

I don't ever think to look over on G&T but I like these celebratory posts, I will come on here more often.

loving books is brilliant IMO. What other hobby can help you relax, learn, be inspired, use your imagination and have fun? certainly not nerdy.

my just turned 4 year old spent this evening asking about how robots worked and I explained a bit about wires and batteries etc and then she got onto programming so we explained that, then she started on how did the wires all work together so I explained about circuits (basic) and she wants to make one! some people would think that was nerdy I am sure but what a wonderful interest in science and technology and how things work. I will have to dig out the usborne book we have on stuff like that.

[MrsMelons]

Waffle - I suspect he would score much higher than a L3 on a SATs paper as he got 100% in his L3 paper bot sure about a 5 though, they did not give him the opportunity to try. I think the issue is the same that they have not taught the required skills he needs.

We are the same with DS, we steer clear of the academic stuff he does at school when at home and he does other activities instead - mainly sports and music, although he is learning a language too as they haven't done anything yet at his school.

Yes it is nice as there are a few 'hot housed' DCs who are at the school already and willbe in his class in September so I assumed one of them would get it.

[youcouldnevermakeitup]

Congratulations to Mrs Melons DS on an academic scholarship - that is really good news! He really must be doing really well and flying. So nice to see these scholarships going to state school pupils too.

[Wafflenose]

Thank you Mrs Melons, and many congratulations to your DS!

DD is at 3A for everything else, and on the APP grids (or whatever they are called) she hasn't completed enough skills to be awarded the 5 for Teacher Assessment (mainly due to not being taught all the Level 5 skills) so will presumably be awarded a Level 4 for that. The Headteacher recently got her to sit a Year 6 paper, and he says she achieved the 5 on that. This is with no proper support from school, and they are gobsmacked with her, so things are going to change in Year 3 :)

We do nothing academic at home, because there's no point in her becoming even further ahead. So she does 2 dance classes, and plays instruments, to give her other interests and things to work on. She's recently achieved Grade 4 on her main instrument and is working towards Grade 2 on her second, so doing well with that too! (Not too hot at PE or Art though... you can't have it all!)

[MrsMelons]

Well done to your DS OP! It is lovely to be able to share fab news and its lovely when DCs love to read.

And Waffle - OMG that is incredible. DS is just finishing Y2 and we were told he was the highest level reader the school had ever had (infant school only) and he is only a 3a so they say! L5 is AMAZING - you must be so proud.

Sorry to high-jack the thread a bit but I would like to share my news today also as its hard to share in RL without people being weird about it but DS1 has just been awarded an academic scholarship to our local independent school for juniors (found out this afternoon), we are really proud as they usually go to current pupils so to get it from a state school is really good!

[looseleaf]

Well done your clever DC. This is lovely and I like positive posts!

[Wafflenose]

youcould... she scraped a 5c. Just. And if she had been born two months prematurely, she'd be in Year 3 already (although she's not alone in that, of course). Writing and maths were 3A. She doesn't sniff books either, ha ha! I think if we got our children together they would probably just read! She is in bed at the moment, reading the 5th Harry Potter book, and reports that when she's read another 100 pages, she'll be halfway through. Whatever.

[Wafflenose]

Well done to your DD, ExcuseTypos. She has done fantastically.

[youcouldnevermakeitup]

Well done to Wandymums DS - boast away!

And Wafflenose, I nearly fell off my chair when I was told that DS was a 5b early in yr 3 but your DD managed a 5 in yr 2! Maybe we should get our DC together as they both must be mad keen readers! Still..... DS has not started book sniffing yet (like shrindini in child genius) if he did I would be really worried. I assume the writing was a 3A? I think DS was a 4 on entering yr 3 (or high 3).

[ExcuseTypos]

Well done to your Ds Wendy. Don't apologise, he is a very bright boy and you must be very proud.

My dd is a bit older, she found out her final results from university yesterday. She's got a 2.1 from Bristol and I'm immensely proud. She has dyslexia and she's worked so hard. I'm a very proud mum!

[edam]

Aw, that's great. The nasty mothers are just incredibly jealous and petty. As long as they don't let their kids get nasty I'd ignore them. January's right, the geeks really are inheriting the earth these days...

[Januarymadness]

In this day and age when nerds and geeks grow up they are called a new name -RICH.

Boast away!

[Wafflenose]

Thanks, all! It's been a LONG time (probably 12-18 months) since I posted in G&T, as it can get scary here. I thought I would get a lot of and criticism for boasting! I've now told my mum and husband, who asked me to explain what it meant, and they were like, "Above average, great!" LOL

[youarewinning]

Boast away

It's great when you discover a talent in your DC's - and a shame when others use negative labels to describe them.

My DS won't even read a fiction book - he's 8 and year 4. I might strangle his teacher if she mentions forcing actively encouraging him again. I love books, so does my family - DS just doesn't get them. (and has suspected AS)

[Januarymadness]

In this day and age when nerds and geeks grow up they are called a new name -RICH.

Boast away!

[ShowOfHands]

Brilliant.

I have a dc in Y1 and I have bog all clue what you're talking about but you sound very happy!

Is this something I should be aware of?

[antimatter]

congrats!

now you have to spend time choosing books for him :) hope that the nearest library has them all for you

(has he read Matilda or any other Road Dhal books yet?)