Shawbridge

In My Own Words

I have two high school kids who are great kids and very good students. One was described by a neuropsychologist as severely gifted -- very high IQ and severe dyslexia and other, less easily labeled processing issues. We have tried worked carefully with the school system and his teachers to set up a program that helps him in the areas in which he needs help and challenges him in the areas in which he needs to move at a faster pace. Thus, he's done much of high school as a partial homeschooler. The other child is quite bright as well but has no learning issues but has coped with a fair bit already: When she was 8 or 9, she started to fail vision tests. She was close to legally blind and was diagnosed (incorrectly) with a degenerative retinal disease leading to near blindness. We persevered through the medical system and found doctors who made the correct diagnosis and a behavioral optometrist who worked with her for nine months doing painful eye exercises. She started the year not being able to see the board from the front row of class to 20/20 distance vision. We're grateful to have two wonderful kids and have enjoyed all the years with them, though the relationship between the teenage daughter and the mother can sometimes become strained. We've traveled all over the world with our kids and enjoy spending time with them. I help them with math, science, English and social studies as well as some extracurricular activities. My wife helps them with art and extracurriculars. I have great memories of reading the entire Lord of the Ring Series to my son when he was in 1st grade as well as virtually all of the fantasy/sci-fi genre over the years, working with him on advanced math problems when he was very young and helping him prepare for Moot Court last year. We took a great trip together camping in the Australian Outback. I helped my daughter really achieve much more than she thought she could on her Bat Mitzvah, which is an experience I think she'll always remember and definitely will benefit from.

Parents I'd Like to Meet

My current concerns are helping a gifted kid with learning disabilities finish high school happily -- he's at the top of his class -- but it takes a lot out of him and finding colleges that will suit him. I'm sure I'll also be trying to learn how to guide a teenage girl through the Scylla of academic pressure and the Charybdis of social pressure in a sexualized society, although we haven't had any big issues yet. Unfortunately, I don't think ear wax will be sufficient.