Whether Gifted is the correct word to call the Exceptional Children

I decided to look in the thesaurus for synonyms for gifted since gifted children does not seem appropriate.

This is how Thesaurus at http://thesaurus.com/browse/Gifted defines Gifted, " talented, intelligent."

Synonyms -
able, accomplished, adept, adroit,artful, astute, bright, brilliant,
brainy, capable, class act, clever, cultivated, expert, facile,
have smarts, imaginative, ingenious, intelligent, inventive,
keen, masterly, phenomenal, polished, practiced, proficient, 
quick to learn, savvy, sharp, shining at, skilled, skillful, smart,
with it, wise.

My favorite definitions are adept, adroit, astute, bright, brilliant, brainy, capable, clever, imaginative, inventive, keen, phenomenal, proficient, sharp, skillful, and smart. I believe some of the synonyms do not fit since they are still learning.

I prefer astute, clever, imaginative, inventive, sharp and quick to learn to describe my Jan. Although both talented and intelligent fit, I would say imaginative best describes her.

I was teaching Jan how to play cribbage recently and by the second game she was able to count some of the hands by herself, which surprised me. I was older when I learned cribbage. My brother taught me the first game then the second game he started playing muggings, which really upset me. I could not stand his stealing points from me so I learned very quickly to count my hands. I did research how to teach kids how to play cribbage.

The suggested,
First time count pairs.
Second time count runs.
Third time fifteens.
Fourth time count double runs.

I started of thinking I would teach her as suggested but it seemed that in order to teach her how to peg, I had to teach her the pairs, runs, fifteens, double runs, thirty one and goes all at the same time. Jan likes games. She did enjoy the cribbage board and the pegging the most. I believed that if she learns cribbage it will help her with addition and subtraction.

Jen and I went to Jan's school this week for curriculum night and the teacher said the second grade is learning how to count and subtract to twenty. She called it the Facts. I am not sure what that means. I checked on the internet. They all seem to call Second grade math, Basic Subtraction Facts, Basic Addition Facts, or Subtraction Facts with Missing Blanks.

Summer Vacation is Over

Summer vacation has ended and we are back to our morning routines. School started on August 9th. I have always felt this is way too early since I always went back to school after Labor Day.

I usually arise first and make sure Jan is awake. Usually she wakes on her own and comes out. I have had to wake her up these last few weeks. Jan dresses than comes out to the kitchen while I make her breakfast. She prefers either her mother or I eat breakfast with her. After breakfast I pack her snack for school along with a bottle of water. I pack her snack in her book bag and make sure her homework is done one more time.

After breakfast she brushes her teeth and hair. If she has time she can watch TV before the school bus. Our morning routine starts the night before.

1. Eat Supper.
2. Take Shower.
3. Brush teeth.
4. Pick clothes for next day.
5. Good nights sleep.
6. Eat a good breakfast.
7. Brush teeth.
8. Brush hair.
9. Take School Bus.
10. Study at School.

Jan does better if we stick to the morning routine.

About This Blog

This is a blog dedicated to eclectic discussions.
I am interested in household finances, living
debt free, parenting children, families, marriage,
vacations, art, books, music,writing,
spirituality, faith, journal-ling, blogging,
gifted adults, being advocates for our children,
issues affecting gifted children,computers
and discussing modern life.

All Children Love Bedtime Stories

I have been learning about Gifted Children lately. My daughter Jan is in the gifted program at her school. While reading about characteristics of gifted children, I have been reminded of my own childhood. I have always had a love for books. I inherited my love for reading from my father.



I my mind's eye I picture my father as a young man reading Robinson Caruso, Treasure Island and other classics to me. He would sit beside my bed in a chair. I can hear his deep booming voice as he reads. He would describe the colorful pictures in the books. I would drift to sleep as he read with visions of tropical islands or pirates in my mind.



Since Jan was a toddler, we try to read every night. Even though she was a tiny baby I would read to her. She has always loved story time. I have always loved story time too. I do not care what we read as long as we read something Jan l enjoys. Currently we are reading of Fairies by Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones by Barbara Parks and Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish.



We like to go to the library.  Jan is excited to play the computer games the library has. She also likes to choose books. We are fortunate the library has puppet shows, magicians and story tellers. We want  Jan to love going to the library.



Books open a window to a wide world of fact and fiction. I always loved reading and would be transported into a world of my own imagination. I enjoyed going to the library with my father when I was young. He introduced me to Turgenev, when I was twelve. I enjoyed reading of the life of Russian peasants on the Don. I read the complete works of Ian Fleming too. I like to read the writers that the writers I like admire. I have been introduce to Kafka, Camus, Sarte, Gogol, O'Neil , Ibsen and Hemingway. I currently love reading Dean Koontz, Patricia Cornwell and  Lee Smith. I have read many horror writers that I enjoyed to like Rick Hautala, Brian Lumley, Charles Grant, Melanie Tem, Poppy Z. Brite, Yvonne Navarro, Robert Block, Shirley Johnson, F. Paul Wilson, and H.P. Lovecraft.

I hope Jan grows to love books, libraries and bookstores as much as I do.

Here's a Cool Youtube Posting I found

Dirk's Walk Across America





I tried to put this at the bottom of my blog but I do not think anyone could see it there so I decided to put this little video in its own post.

I love to surf the net.

I hope you enjoy this little video as much as I do.

Jack

Just Brakes Ripoff Story

Jen went to the Kia Dealership on Friday to get her oil changed. She left a message on my voicemail to call her. When I called her back she told me, " The Dealership advised me I need new brake pads."

I replied, " You probably need brake pads since it has been a while since your brakes have been done."

Jen decided to take her car to Just Brakes to get their special $ 99.00 brake job and she printed a $ 25.00 coupon from the Internet.

Later in the morning she called, " Just Brakes told me I need to have my back brake cylinders changed, and their $ 170.00 each plus the brake pads for $99.00."

I advised, " Take Your car to the Kia Dealership as we already knew it doesn't need any other work done on the brakes as the Dealership would have said so."

When she got home she described her day, " The Kia Dealership said the could not find a leak in the rear cylinders. He looked hard and could not find it."

She puffed, " They were going to make me pay $ 30.00 for a diagnostic fee. I told them I am not going to pay it and I am taking it to the Kia Dealership. They kept arguing with me about making me pay this diagnostic. They told me they would replace the front brake pads and put the rear tires on charge me for the cylinders but not put them on if I took it to the Kia Dealership. They made me so mad."

They did not know that when it comes to a fee like that she is not going to
pay. Jen insisted and Just Brakes did not charge her the $ 30.00 diagnostic
fee. Jen drove over to the Kia Dealership and they replaced the brake pads and looked thoroughly over the rear cylinders and they could not find a leak.

Jen stated, " The Kia mechanic thinks they were pushing the rear center of the cylinder to make it leak but by itself it does not leak."

We went to a birthday party Saturday afternoon and Jen told this story several
times. Sunday her friend Jean came over and I heard the story again only this
time in Chinese. I know it was the Just Brakes story as she kept saying
Just Brakes and brake pads along with a few other English words that must
have no equivalent Chinese word.

We both watched an Inside Edition show where the reporter took a vehicle to a certified mechanic. The mechanic told the reporter on camera the work the car needed done. They took the car to Just Brakes and they added hundreds of dollars to the $ 99.00 bill. The took the car back to the certified mechanic showed him the Just Brakes Mechanic said and he again reiterated the work did not need to be done. Inside Edition Investigates Auto Repair Chain Just Brakes ( Airdate 5/19/2010)

One of these stories is similar to what my wife was told the Just Brakes employee also pressed the sponge part on Jen's rear brake telling her it needed to be replaced and the DOT would not allow him to just but the tires back on so she could drive to the Kia Dealership.

Here are some links to similar experiences by other Just Brake customers:
Action 9 Investigates Brake Repair Chain ( online video )
Just Brakes Ripoff
Another satisfied customer
Review Just Brakes
Hit the Bank...For Just Brakes - Brake Repair
Fired because I do not cheat people
Report: Just Brakes, Brake Land, Brake Depot

Learning to Ride a Bicycle

We always hear that something is like learning to ride a bicycle, you never forget.

My wife Jen and I have spent many times trying to teach our daughter Jan to ride her
bicycle without training wheels. We mostly tried walking beside her holding the handle bars
so she could balance. This method was not very successful.
 
Jan asked recently, " Can you put my training wheels back on? "

I replied, "No. "

Jen searched on the internet and learned we should hold Jan's shoulders from
behind so she can learn to balance herself. We decided to try this since our method
was not working. We did not have time to try this before leaving for Virginia on
our summer vacation. Jen told Jan's best friends mother this was a method she
read about as Amy was also learning how to ride her bicycle.

When we returned from vacation Amy was riding her bicycle already.
This news inspired Jan in wanting to learn how to ride herself. We spent an
hour and a half on Sunday, walking back & forth in our driveway. I let go of
her shoulders several times and she was able to balance the length of our driveway.
She was having a problem with steering then; would steer into the grass on the side.
Jen decided to take Jan to the end of our cul-de-sac early one morning and then she
could steer in a circle better. Jan reported to me that night, she was able to ride in a
circle on the cul-de-sac. I took her to the cul-de-sac early the next morning. She road
in circles and asked me to count. She made several laps four different times, I told her it
all added up to 30 laps and she told me it doesn't count since she stopped in between.
Ariel road back to our house and then road in circles around our driveway.

She was very proud of herself that she learned how to ride a bike. Jan wanted us to take
her bicycle with her when she went to visit Amy. I put her bike in the trunk of Jen's car.
She thought she could out ride Amy.

When I arrived home that night Jan said, " Amy can ride a bike better than me. She knows how to ride downhill."

It turns out Amy can ride downhill better and Jan was a little scared as she is still learning to apply her brakes but Jan road circles around Amy. Amy did ten laps around the cul-de-sac and Jan road thirty laps.

It surprised me how fast both girls learned to ride a bike once their parents knew the proper way to teach them how to ride a bike.

Swimming Lesson

We went swimming tonight at our subdivision pool. It was crowded. Many of our neighbors were trying to beat the heat. It was nice in the pool. I was showing my wife how to kick her feet and swim freestyle.

She told me, " I can't kick my feet like that. I never learned to swim like that."

She taught me how to swim like she learned in China as a little girl. It looks very much like a frog.
She moved her legs up towards her hips and kicked back. I tried it a little bit but it was to difficult
to make much progress in the water and my hips hurt from swimming that way.

I told her, " It is too hard to swim like that my hips hurt."

We continued to help our daughter learn swimming. I take her out to 5 feet of water so she cannot
touch bottom. If she cannot touch bottom she will swim but if she can touch bottom she will touch
the bottom. She is swimming very good this summer with what she remembers from swimming
lessons she took last summer.

We think it is important to learn how to swim at a young age.

While You Were Sleeping

I awoke early this morning.

I could not sleep so I turned on the TV with the Closed Captioning on and the volume on mute.

" What time is it? " My wife asked after a few minutes.

" 3:30 A.M. " I answered,

"Why did you tell me what time it is? " she grunted.

"You asked me." I replied.

" I did not. " she complained, " Now, I can't sleep. "

I went back to sleep.