School

Yesterday we took Emma to be evaluated for entry into the Chicago Public Schools' gifted program. Apparently they screen the kids using some mysterious method deliberately kept secret from the parents, and those children deemed "gifted" are then eligible to attend a handful of accelerated-learning public elementary schools.

We weren't allowed to go into the interview room with Emma, so we have no idea what happened. The entire thing took about 15 minutes, and according to Emma she had a lot of fun drawing pictures and answering questions. She said she forgot how to write the letter H, but her "teacher" told her that was okay and that he was very nice about it. I was nervous the process was going to be traumatic for her somehow, but she seemed to really enjoy herself and kept saying, "I can't WAIT for kindergarten!" The only reason Chris and I took her was because one of the schools that has been highly recommended to me by other parents is in this gifted category, and we wanted to keep our options open when deciding where to send her next year. We find out next month which schools she has gained entry to based on testing and lottery, so...we shall see.

In the meantime, Emma loves her current school so much. She always looks forward to going and rarely wants to leave at the end of the day. I hope that love continues through kindergarten and beyond. They have a school camera, and they just sent the latest batch of photos around to the parents. It brings me so much joy to see Emma obviously having fun interacting with her teachers and classmates. Here are pics of Em with each of her teachers:

Emma (in polka dots) doing calisthenics with her teacher Jake.

Emma during storytime with her teacher Louise.

Emma goofing around with her teacher Ben.