When John was four I heard about the Discovery Program offered through our school district. It is a separate classroom and curriculum for gifted and talented kids. For one reason or another I thought of John the minute I heard about it.

Children aren't accepted into the program until their 2nd grade year, so I've been waiting for a while to see if John could get in. The application process for next year actually started a month ago and involves a rigorous cognitive test, submitting copies of writing samples, a teacher questionnaire, a parent questionnaire, a student questionnaire, and a copy of his most recent report card. The literature insists that this program is for the top 5% of students, therefore they should be performing at least one grade level above their current grade in reading and/or math.

We took the test a few weeks ago and are still waiting for results. John took a similar test when he was 4 with mixed results. He scored extremely high in the verbal category, and only somewhat high for the math. The overall result put him in the 94th percentile.

When I have mentioned my interest in the Discovery program to the current school they have either tried to discourage me from pursuing it, or they have shrugged and said they don't know much about it. So I have been working to get everything together on my own, which is fine, but it makes me doubt myself.

To make matters worse, I got John's first report card yesterday. All 3's, meaning "at grade level". I had to keep reminding myself that this is good, better than being below grade level and at least he's keeping up with the class. But I know my boy, and I think given the right opportunity he could show them that he is in fact doing better than grade level at least in reading. His fluency may not be up to 2nd grade level, but his comprehension is outrageous. It makes me wonder if his behavior has overshadowed his ability, or if the teacher doesn't see past it. Or maybe John isn't as exceptional as I see him... The reality is that he is bright, but in a complex way, not in a way that you demonstrate by learning to read, write, and add numbers.

Now I am left feeling like one of "those" parents who insists they have a gifted child. As I've been thinking about it, I've been seeing this program as my last resort. John still struggles in school, I think he's doing better this year, but he is still a hard kid to have in class. In the back of my mind I've been comforted by the "he's just bored" mantra. The Discovery program would be more challenging, stimulating, and exciting for him. But the truth is, there is no cure-all for this little guy.