TAG is delighted to hear from an appreciative mother who first contacted TAG several years ago. This story reinforces the value of being part of an active TAG committee and what can be achieved by parental learning and advocating in relation to gifted students.
Hi Lynne (and the rest of the TAG team)
I just wanted to touch base with you to give you an update on how my son AAA is travelling. We are from the (area of Tasmania) and I have contacted you a number of times over the years to get support and information to help us support AAA through his schooling. Most recently (early 2018) I got in touch with you to discuss his transition to high school and as usual you provided me with excellent advice!
We decided to send AAA to High School X in the end and as you predicted we did find it much easier to negotiate an extension program in primary school than we did in high school. That being said, after some persistence we were able to sort an extension program for him that is working out very well!
AAA is a year younger than his peers after entering kindergarten early and has always studied maths and science separately to the rest of the grade. In Grade 6 AAA was ready for pre-tertiary maths and science and we found an excellent online program from TAFE Qld. that he enrolled in which is a preparation course for people wanting to study science and engineering at uni who haven’t completed the required pre-tertiary’s. AAA did very well in this course and based on that the University of New England decided to take a chance on an 11 year old and allowed him an alternative pathway entry into a Bachelor of Science. So he started studying this part-time at the same time as starting high school last year. This year he decided to up his workload at uni to 50% (two units per semester) and this seems to be a good amount for him which he does during his maths and science time at school. He studies everything else alongside his peers and is really enjoying high school.
We were quite shocked and excited to receive the below email recently informing us that AAA had received the 2018 UNE School Prize in first year pure mathematics last year for getting the highest grade in the year group! Needless to say, all is going along very well and this acceleration program though it has taken significant negotiation and organisation with the school and university is working out perfectly for him!
Thanks so much for all your support over the years and I thought it might be helpful for you and others at TAG to know where we have ended up when you are talking to others who are in our situation.
Kind regards,
(A happy mother)