Our assignment for the first day of 7th grade was to describe our 7th grader in a million words or less.....So here is a description or our absolutely incredible child!!
Ben is a very special child. He was born in Colorado just after Christmas and on the same day as his grandmother on his mother’s side. She is a strong willed New Englander with true English heritage. His middle name was chosen to honor his great-grandfather, also a New Englander with a quiescent personality that was always quick with a joke. He is the second child of four. Preceded by a brother three years older, he feels obligated to constantly show his precocious side as he tries to do everything his older brother does. His closest sibling is a sister that is only 17 months younger. This caused him to be moved out of the crib sooner than most and we think he still holds that against her. The youngest sibling is four and half years younger and, if you ask Ben, is really just an annoyance in his life. When Ben was just a toddler he began to show his desire to be helpful. For example when his sister was learning to walk he wanted to help keep her safe so he would push her down saying “no baby!” As Ben’s personality began to show, we realized he was just like his dad, who is very much like his dad. Grandpa Negomir relates very well to him, and apologizes in private for passing on the genes that make Ben so special.
Ben passed through pre-school without much fanfare. Once in public school the fun started. One day while checking with his first grade teacher about missing homework assignments, dad decided to check his desk. Lo and behold, there were all the assignments. He had done them, just didn’t see the point in turning them in. After all, he had learned the lessons and that was the real point – right? First grade was also where mom and dad got to meet with the counseling team at the school and get educated about Love and Logic and choices and consequences and above all follow through. They were great about helping us think outside the box and provide consistent messages to him between home and school. By third grade he passed the test for Gifted and Talented and really started absorbing knowledge. Of course behavior was still a challenge and he spent a weekend morning picking weeds around the school with the fourth grade teacher (we totally appreciate creative discipline). Ben has always enjoyed time by himself, so we also realized about this time that grounding had absolutely no effect. Instead, his punishment is to have to take a shower and get out of the house on weekends and run errands with us (you can’t imagine the errands we could come up with). Mom finds great humor on Monday mornings reminding him that if he doesn’t behave at school he will be out on Saturday shopping in the women’s underwear section at Dillards, or attending a craft fair where they sell things like jewelry and candles and other girly stuff. Which, as it turns out is highly repulsive to Ben and quite a motivator keep his behavior in check.
After third grade, Ben relocated from Colorado to Idaho when his dad changed jobs. He spent fourth and fifth grade at the charter school, but then wanted to transfer to Crimson Point to blend in more with a larger class, and in his words “be in a more relaxed environment.” He has thrived there by having a somewhat flexible curriculum. In sixth grade with the help of some wonderful KSD employees he was able to participate in the STEM program where he was bussed to the middle school for Math and Science. Ben does very well with Math as he is a conceptual thinker who can usually see patterns in the numbers. He has even read a book about zero that he would love to discuss anytime you would like. His other passions are video games and technology. When he plays video games he observes quietly watching for patterns. He then plays the path of least resistance until he is satisfied that he understands the game. He has to make a conscious effort to not apply this technique to his school work. More recently, to extend his understanding of video games he has decided to teach himself how to create them. He has downloaded software development applications and spends much of his free time researching how to program games and is starting to create basic games.
As you can tell, Ben is an intelligent young man who needs to be challenged. He has a sharp wit and is not afraid to use it. He is always thinking outside of the box and has his toe on the line every single day. He is also very literal, for example Mom: “Ben, I thought I told you no television?” Ben: “I am not watching television, I am watching a movie.” He is also true to himself, most always marching to the beat of his own drummer (although as a twelve year old we are not always sure what that drummer is playing). I believe that when he is an adult he will be the friend you can call in the middle of the night to come help you, and he will - without question.
NOTE: I thought about rambling on just to see how close I could come to a million words, but I think I will stop here just short of a thousand (also because it is due tomorrow). If you wouldn’t mind reading this a thousand times, it will be close the million words asked for (I really don’t know where Ben gets his literal interpretations – it must be from his mom). – Jim Negomir
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