School Readiness
“Aye! I am talking to you!” The little six-year-old banged the table as she shouted loudly when her many attempts to hijack the attention from my mother during the latter’s 85th birthday celebration failed. So, I decided to tell her off in public.
I know. I felt bad after that to have embarrassed my cousin about his daughter’s behavior. So I called him to apologize and offered to spend an afternoon to see if I could help.
*Ari is not ready for formal school when she starts next year. Despite being a very intelligent child, I believe she will suffer because she is not school ready. No matter how intelligent a child is, she will not do well if she is not ready in other areas. Unless we do something about it.
After meeting my cousin, I found out that Ari loves to visit the library. So, I gave tips on the kind of books to start her reading with, ways to scale up and then how to help her achieve academically without stress. But on top of that, I taught him how to help her understand her position in the society so that she has the least friction when integrating into the school environment.
Is your child school ready? Doing well academically and in life is far more than just intelligence or being gifted. It is a set of skills that kids are either born with, or can learn.
*Ari’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
Harvard-trained educator, former SMU full-time lecturer, and mother of five — all of whom entered university between the ages of 11 and 15. Pamela founded All Gifted School on the conviction that all children are differently gifted, and that education's job is to bring every child's potential to its fullest.
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