Chapter 15
Nutmeg Blossoms
While we were all working with the family and the rest of the agency’s business, Nutmeg was blossoming in the Evaluation Program and in school. She had really changed her negative and confrontational destructive behaviors to the point we felt she could now handle Public School and it fell to me to introduce her to Pleasant Valley Elementary where she would be tested for appropriate placement. While we had an IQ score of 190 on the Cattell, the school wanted achievement tests of their own.
So on a beautiful Friday morning in March, with the wild flowers blooming along the roadside, Nutmeg and I made the three block walk to her new school. She was excited and happy, but worried about the tests,
“Will I pass everything, Miss Helen? Oh, I hope I can go to third grade, not second, I read better than that,” she proclaimed. She had recently taken a reading test in our small private school for our children in placements and she knew she was reading considerably beyond the second grade level. But she was still a seven year old, and that’s usually a second grade placement. So I tried to head off disappointment.
“Well, Nutmeg, it’s almost the end of the year, so they might still put you in a second grade and give you reading to do at a higher level. Otherwise you’d be skipping second grade, and sometimes that’s not done easily,” I replied.
“Hmm . Well, OK, but I don’t want no baby reading.” She said as we walked up to the school from the large parking lot.
A very pleasant woman met us in the outer office of the Principal.
“Hello, Katy. Welcome to our school. We hope you will like it here a lot. One minute and I will get Mr. Pritchard for you.”
Nutmeg looked at me searchingly. “Katy?” she asked.
I quickly replied: “Nutmeg that is your legal name and they may insist on calling you by your legal name. Please try to accept it.”
To my surprise, she sighed quietly and said a simple, “OK”.
Mr. Pritchard, apparently the Principal of Pleasant Valley, came out of his office, extending a hand to Nutmeg. “Welcome, young lady. Do you have any questions for me about Pleasant Valley?”
“Yes sir, I do. Can I go to third grade?” Nutmeg quickly and rather assertively replied.
Mr. Pritchard glanced at me as though seeking an answer from me. I remained quiet and just smiled at him. “Uh, well, we’ll see, Katy. We have some evaluations to do. I think you know about that, don’t you?”
“Yes sir, I do. But I’ve had those before and I already know I read at 6th grade level, sir.”
“I see,” exclaimed an obviously flustered Mr. Pritchard. “Well, come along.” He took Nutmeg by the hand, leading her down the hall outside to a small room where another pretty young woman waited for us. “Miss Johnson, this is Katy. She says she can read at 6th grade level and the paperwork we have so far indicates that may be in fact accurate.” He seemed to be giving the teacher a clue.
“OK, Mr. Prichard.” She turned to Nutmeg and said “Wow, you must read really, really well. I’m looking forward to our time together.” She handed Nutmeg a book: “Can you read from this for me?” She smiled at me in a rather dismissive manner and took Nutmeg to the corner where a small couch and table, piles of pillows on the floor and a reading lamp seemed to form a comfortable reading corner in her classroom.
To my surprise the book she had handed to Nutmeg was L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. I tagged along behind them and sat in a comfortable wingchair beside the couch as Miss Johnson led Nutmeg to sit with her on the couch. I listened as Nutmeg competently read the first four pages, only once stumbling on a word.
Miss Johnson stopped Nutmeg after the first few pages. “My goodness, you certainly are a fine reader. Can you tell me …” And she proceeded to ask several questions about the characters in the story, all of which Nutmeg answered well and promptly in a rather strong manner I had not seen before. Miss Johnson smiled at me. “I am impressed,” she said.
She then asked Nutmeg to take a chair at the table nearby. “I am going to ask you to tell me what a word that I give you means. You can tell me directly, or use the word in a sentence, whichever feels best to you.” She stated. “Ready?”
Nutmeg nodded.
“The first word is cautious.” Miss Johnson said.
“Oh, that’s to be careful,” replied Nutmeg quickly.
“Very good. How about the word identical?”
“Uh -- that’s like twins that are so much alike you can’t tell them apart – identical twins,” said Nutmeg.
The list went on for several minutes until Miss Johnson looked up smiling broadly. She took Nutmeg’s hand, patting it while exclaiming: “Well you certainly are a bright girl and know a lot of very adult words.” Until now, Nutmeg had been very serious. She suddenly beamed and asked excitedly: “Then can I go to third grade?”
“Oh my, that’s a very big jump, Katy. I don’t decide that. Mr. Prichard and other teachers make that decision, but I will certainly tell them you want to advance, and we’ll see what they do, OK?”
“Mmmmm -- but will you be on my side?” Nutmeg asked plaintively.
“You bet I will!” replied Miss Johnson.
The evaluation had taken the better part of an hour and I could see that Nutmeg was anxious to be done.
“Is there anything more we need to do today?” I asked.
“No, that’s it. I will be recommending a gifted program placement for Katy. I am sure Mr. Pritchard will call you by the end of the week with the appropriate placement and the day for Katy to start here. Now, I hope you both have a lovely day,” explained Miss Johnson, leading us out of her room and down the hall to the front door.
As we left the building, Nutmeg began to jump up and down…” I ‘cited, I cited,” she shouted. “I like that teacher! I was ‘fraid I wouldn’t like her none. Do you think they’ll let me go to third grade? Huh? Do ya?”
Laughing, I took her little hand in mine. “I don’t know, Nutmeg, we have to wait till we get the phone call from Mr. Pritchard.”
“What’s a Gifted Program?” she asked.
“Well, that’s a program that special kids get to enjoy because they are ahead of some of the other children in their skills,” I explained. I went on, “Sometimes, gifted kids feel different from other kids, and it’s also a place where they can share those feelings, and do special projects they are curious about.”
“Hmm -- that sounds neat. I think I like that too,” Nutmeg said. Then practically knocked me over with a giant hug joyfully shouting: “I cited, I cited.”
“Well, you did very well on your tests, Nutmeg. How about I take you out for an ice cream on our way home? Think you can calm down enough to eat it?” I laughed.
“Oh, Miss Helen ... you are so good to me! Can I have chocolate?”
I laughed. “Sure you can have chocolate and so can I!” And we chocoholics were off to Olde Bailey’s Ice Cream Shoppe.
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Two days later, Mr. Pritchard called to tell me that Nutmeg/Katy had been assigned to an advanced two-three combination grade for bright children, and that she’d spend a half day twice a week in the Gifted Program for grades 2-3. He explained that the Placement Committee felt she was strong in all basic skills, but still young and had moved so many times in various schools that she wasn’t yet really ready socially for a third grade, especially in the last half of the year.
However, if she tested out ready for fourth at the end of the year and seemed socially ready, they would then advance her to a combination third- fourth in June.
I thanked him for the generosity of the Committee and said I’d share the good news with Nutmeg. I explained to him about her nickname, and he laughed, saying he understood and if she insisted, they’d likely go along with her.
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I arrived at the Evaluation Program house about four the next day j
ust as Nutmeg arrived back from her appointment with Doc.
“Nutmeg, I’ve good news for you,” I said.
“Oh -- Do I have new parents?” she asked, jumping up and down.
“No, not yet. We’re working on that, Nutmeg. But you are going to a combination second-third grade starting Monday!” I exclaimed.
“Really, really?” Nutmeg ran towards me, arms open for grabbing a giant hug. I picked her up and swung her around.
“Yes, really.”
“Oh that’s so wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful.” And she began to sing a crooning song I’ve heard her sing rarely. I had noticed that when she’s happy, Nutmeg sometimes bursts into song.
She stopped singing suddenly and exclaimed: “Marci and I are going shopping today. We‘re gonna buy school clothes and sneakers for gym and get paper and pencils and a notebook and everything!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Can I get red sneakers? Can I? Those ones with the lights on them?”
I laughed. What a joyful moment Nutmeg was sharing. “Of course you can, if Marci says it’s OK.” I replied.