Job Duties (or meddling with their minds!)

Today I got to work with a really cool kid. He was surprised that I pulled him from class, but came willingly - happily even. After that, we spent about 2 hours together. We talked about Fortnite, Minecraft, and sports. He told me that he hates his class because they just got split up from the teacher he has had all year and, "They act like they don't have to do nothing now. They didn't act that way before." He said it's loud all the time and he liked the quiet. We did some puzzles. I asked him some questions. He said he had never been taught some of the words that I was saying. He was funny. He was patient. He worked really hard for me. I told him he was tremendous and could most likely accomplish anything he set his mind to. We finished our screening and I thanked him for his effort and making my day brighter. I gave him a snack - he said he would give it to his little brother. So I gave him another one. He hugged me.

I was screening him for high academic achievement for the gifted program. He is in the 4th grade and no one had ever recommended him for the program before. My instincts are rarely wrong. Hopefully, he will feel as comfortable when he gets to the psychologist. Maybe he’ll get another snack for his little brother. And maybe, I will see him again soon - when we meet to place him into our program.