Warning: The diet coke you are drinking may spew from your nose while reading this story.
Our daughter has recently been going through the testing for the Gifted and Talented program at her school. The whole “gifted and talented” thing is a subject that sort of rubs me the wrong way, but I’ll save that for another blog on another day. Anyhoo, last week she had the second of two days of testing. So I get this text from my neighbor whose daughter is also doing the testing:
Neighbor: I have to tell u about the gt testing…did ab tell u what she drew on the creativity part w 2 parallel lines?
(Right there, I’m very afraid. I haven’t gotten a call from the teacher, but I can think of a few things based on 2 parallel lines that might be very inappropriate.)
Me: NO…I’m scared!
Neighbor: A margarita!
Yes, you read right. My third grader drew a margarita on her gifted and talented test. How do you like that for creativity? Apparently my neighbor found out because the teacher walked by and said “Oh, a margarita!” and laughed. So of course my neighbor’s daughter goes home and tells her mom. Abigail didn’t think a thing about it. I asked her about it later, and she drew it for me.
It was in a tall, straight glass (hence the 2 parallel lines), on the rocks, with salt. (That’s actually her daddy’s margarita…mine is frozen with sangria, no salt, but I digress.) And a straw. Can’t forget the straw. And underneath she had written “a margarita drink”…because what kid in South Texas doesn’t know how to correctly spell “margarita”…it’s on a big neon sign at every Mexican restaurant in town!!
My husband and I have made a conscious choice that we want Abigail to see responsible adults drinking responsibly. This is not how either of us were raised, so we still have our doubts, especially when a MARGARITA shows up on a creativity test at school! But we’re sticking with it. Until she writes the definition for jigger on some creative writing test. Then we’ll have to draw the line.
funny girl 
That is as good as the day I got a call from Kate’s teacher to let me know what miss priss “yelled” at school. On bring a game to school day in 2nd grade on of the boys brought a deck of cards. All the sudden Mrs. Mallette says she hears a girl yell, “I can’t believe no here knows how to play poker!” Needless to say when our pride subsided (NOT), Dad decided this was not the best way for him to teach the kids Math!
She must already know tht margaritas make you happy and easy to get along with. Is that so wrong?
Jane, we play poker too. Good times.
Amy, I don’t think it’s so wrong, but her Baptist grandparents might disagree. 🙂
Oh that’s a good one! We also allow our kids to see us drink wine at dinner and discuss responsibility. However, I was not prepared when we had the music minister and his family over for dinner and my kids saw the “foam” that formed at the top of their juice and said “Hey, it looks like beer!” (Yes, this was the Baptist music minister and I was already paranoid about my wine bottle collection on the top of my kitchen cabinets!)
Well, if that doesn’t get a girl into G/T I don’t know what will! Maybe actually bringing the teacher a margarita?? But seriously, I’m glad you had her tested! She’s got major G/T characteristics going on!
This Baptist grandparent was introduced to the delight of the Margarita by a Baptist Minister – the late/GREAT Grady Nutt. Imagine my surprise, when in ~ 1976-77 (I was a mere 30 and had never had a drink of any kind) we went to Nifa’s and he order, not a glass, but a picher. To this day it remains my favorite, you just can’t eat Tex-Mex without it. I have decalared it the ‘National Drink of Texas’.
And YES, of course Abers is G/T, I could have told you that without any testing!!!
Don’t hate on the GT label. The single biggest predictor of college success is the quality and intensity of students’ high school curriculum (US Dept. of Ed.). It is not GPA or Class Rank. I know many valedictorians who failed out of college their freshman year because their high school was not as rigorous or had overall lower expectations of students. Having a GT label will ensure that she is in the most rigorous courses that will prepare her for success in college and in life. GT courses will also teach her to think at higher levels. The number one predictor of obtaining a college degree is your secondary school preparation. Students who are in GT and AP classes statistically will earn a degree. Only 24% of Americans have a college degree (US Census 2000). Those who do well in college, do so because they were prepared in middle and high school. Unfortunately, we do a mediocre job of preparing students in the academic middle for college readiness and success. GT will open doors to those classes that will ensure her success later in life.
Patrick, your point is well taken. And I know that I’m a spoiled upper-middle class American who takes my very good public school for granted sometimes. My concern is that the G/T thing becomes a “my kid’s smarter than yours” contest among parents. And that translates to the kids. My other concern is that I think EVERY child is gifted or talented in some way or another. To single out certain children surely makes the others feel inferior. But will I be thrilled if she gets in? Yes. Definitely.