We believe that every child has a right to appropriate support. This is why we rely on the cooperation of teachers, parents and other specialists when it comes to assisting gifted students. The mother of one of our students reveals the advantages of this for the families concerned in a personal discussion. For privacy reasons she wishes to remain anonymous.
When did you notice that your child was different from other children and what did you do?
Our son knew all the makes of car and canton abbreviations when he was two and a half. We spent HOURS in public car parks. And he started to read when he was three. First advertisements, then signs while riding in the car. When our youngest child was born, his older brother – still not yet four – read the Barbapapa books to him, both of them still in nappies. His curiosity and thirst for knowledge, and the way he approached unfamiliar things were so markedly different from other children that it was somehow clear from the outset that this was a special situation. Not only for us, but for those around us too. Actually, nobody was really surprised when our son began to read. We didn’t do anything about it for a long time … it seemed to suit him so well that we didn’t really think about it much. It was only when he started kindergarten that things changed, although we always found the teachers to be very understanding. But teachers at public schools don’t have much room for manoeuvre.
What was your and your child’s experience then at the public school?
At the kindergarten the question was raised of sending him to school earlier, because he wasn’t interested in role plays and crafts. He was able to persuade the kindergarten teacher to let him have all the books and he read everything she had. In the end she even brought more books from home. That was when she approached us. But we didn’t want to move him because he wasn’t really ready. His mental and emotional maturity were not in sync, and we wanted to protect the weaker component. But by the time he was in the middle of the third year at primary school he had almost finished the curriculum and no longer felt at ease at all. The school asked us to find a place for him at another school. We looked at five schools but they all refused him, saying they didn’t have the right environment in which to support him. Even the schools for gifted children.
How do you find the support provided by LIPSCHULE?
LIPSCHULE was the only school that saw our son as a child with different needs and was interested in him at a HOLISTIC level, not only in his potential. They also worked with us from the outset. The talks were constructive, positive and sincere. The support was just as positive. The teachers usually had a feel for where our son was and what he needed. They always tried to get him to perform to his potential. And if things got difficult, we met and discussed them together.
What does this mean for his daily school life and how are things at home for the family?
Our son always demanded a lot of patience and creativity from his school environment, but both he and we always felt that he was welcome at LIPSCHULE. That’s very important to us. After all, the child is doing his best, let’s reinforce that. This acceptance and freedom from being labelled also eased the situation at home a lot. At the public school we constantly had to explain and offer apologies. At LIPSCHULE we also had to provide explanations, but the interest was genuine, and we were able to advance together.
Do you believe that there is room for improvement, could your son be supported even more?
Our son is quick to explain why he can’t or won’t do something. Here, it might have been possible to ask more of him. Of course, that’s easy to say.
He’s now in his last six months of school. They know him well at school and know what he’s capable of. And now they make demands on him, and that’s the way it should be.