November blues-part 2

Our phone has been ringing off the hooks with - “it has been so hard!,” “wow, we just can’t go back,” or “I don’t know if we can make it even to winter break.” Welcome to the week after Thanksgiving. We just wanted to share that you are not alone. If your child’s school is not a fit and we had to rank the hardest weeks of the year in school, this would be the second hardest week of the entire school year.

What happens is this. The other, regular children, may have had a great start or not, to the school year. By October, everyone mostly settles in to their classroom. The gifted child, especially with new hope in a new school, may have had a great time for 1-2 months. But now the honeymoon is over, and they are going out of their minds from boredom and infinite busy work.

In September, gifted children hear: “you will get to learn after assessments in 2 weeks.”

In October, when they ask again, they hear “we will start differentiation in November, after everyone has settled in.”

In November… well that’s when it all falls apart. The empty promises, the holding it together while doing busy work, are about enough. Behavior and emotional turmoil start escalating leading up to Thanksgiving break, and on the other side of the holiday, kids start to really flip.

You are not alone. We are here to help. Whether it is helping you find the right language and resources to advocate for your child in their school, finding enrichment options to make the lack of learning in school more bearable, or giving you a fresh new school option focused exclusively on the needs of gifted students all the way through profoundly gifted and or multiple years ahead in one or more subjects, we will pick up the phone and help you if you call. If you have to leave a message, then please be patient, we are probably helping another tearful parent. November sucks. But if you don’t fix it now… The second week of January is coming and it’s a whole lot worse. We know because we’ve been there and that’s why we created MAGE.

What’s at risk is the child’s self image, love of learning, and their emotional state overall. What’s worse than unwanted behavior in the classroom? Shutdown. Depression. What may be fun and enjoyable for neurotypical children can amount to nothing short of torture for the gifted. If you don’t have a strategy, now’s the time to call. (312) 600-5571.

November blues

“Give it until October,” say most teachers, experts, experienced parents. Your child will settle into their… new school, classroom, routine, etc. Funny thing though with gifted kids. They are actually frequently fine in September, and October. But come November - they’ve had it. That’s when our phone starts ringing. Now’s a good time to be one of those callers, if you need advice or to make a change. If you are hurting, we are here. The other time when sometimes it gets hard, is half past January. The longer you wait, the more school damage there will be for us to undo. Usually, our first priority is to help your child feel safe, decompress, and get them back to having self agency and a desire to learn. Once kids are burned out, it’s very hard to engage them. Some shut down, some show other ways to express their anxiety and or depression. We are here to put the fun back in school. We will pick up the phone and it’s ok if you cry.