The Gifted Program

It seems like a million years ago, those days at Glenview Elementry in Oakland. 6th grade and a big change for a kid, being pulled from Lakeview School, where I was going to be a lieutenant in the traffic patrol...a very big deal back when kids were traffic guards with spiffy red jackets, yellow hats and stop signs on long sticks. This was something big to give up, I tell you, big. I had been informed, while in Mrs. Parisi's 5th grade class, (where I was trying to look and act like a Rebel, thanks to my parents divorce) that some kids were being pulled from each of the grade schools in Oakland to be part of an experiment. It would require us to travel by bus (we got free bus tickets) across town to a school in one of the nicer neighborhoods and begin again, in The Gifted Program. I like to tell on myself...I may have had a high IQ but my grades were not what we could call stellar. The other kids in the class almost fell over themselves in shock and awe that I had been chosen over Les Wong, the class genius. Yeah, me too. We became the guinea pigs for studying the New Math...oh, and being able to do all of the other cool things like science workshops and theatre weren't too bad, either. We of the Experimental Class were tracked to go to Junior High (three years at that time, during the worst of all human beings times...7th through 9th grades...the Hormone Years) and finish it in two instead of three years. Push push push. I went along with the program until halfway through my 7th grade year and then I rebelled...hell no. I decided that I wanted to stay with the rest of my classmates and graduate high school in 1968 instead of 1967 because let's face it...I was fooling around and did not want to kill myself studying. If it didn't come easily, I wanted no part of it. (blush) So, I stayed in my normal grade and went along my merry way. When I hit 8th grande, here comes the New Crop of The Gifted...fresh baby faces that nestled right into our classes when we all hit 9th grade. This is who I was supposed to be and who the friends that graduated high school in 1967, with The Husband were.

The reason that I am blathering on about this is that this morning on the dyerslist there was a post about an old friend of mine...one of the New Crop who graduated from high school at 16 as I was slated to do. Yes, someone who hung around with a boy from the year ahead of us and one that was a friend of The Boy that would one day become The Husband. Yeah, Dave Soderlund became the youngest entomology PHD at his university and he and his wife, that girl, stayed on so that he could teach. Carol became Carol Soderlund a world reknowned quilter and dyer and teacher. Small world, made even smaller by color on fiber.

Alright, on to other things. I realized that I had not photographed my precious birthday gift knitting needles sent by none other than Sheila after telling you all about them. Here they are in all of their glory and I have been informed that she promises to put them on her site when her web guru gets back to work.

I knooooowwwww, aren't they pretty? Aren't I blessed with the bestest friends? I know, believe me, I know.

Here is your obligatory shot of my black son, who is going to rue the day when the Tuff-shed comes and gets built right where he and Sasha really really like to rough house. It is going to be traumatic. Do you think that he knows? Nah...he's a Lab.

Last but not least...two new colors for Sock! Pumpkin and Black/purple.

Oh yeah...on the spinner...some Sky Drama Biffle charged with some Firestar sporting the same colors. You will just have to talk amongst yourselves until I decide to show you. :o)

Comments

[CarolineF]

The New Math has become the Old Math, I hear that teachers nowadays have to discourage kids from getting their parents' help with their math homework because it's so different. How much, I want to know, can they change 3x5=15??

Beautiful needles. I find that I never knit with straight needles anymore but they are beautiful.

[elizabeth]

Interesting the way things work. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I just don't know the reason you taunt us so with promises of pics of sky drama and firestar;-)

[Sam]

New math-old math-new math-old math- now it's Integrated Math. That sound was my head exploding. I got caught in new math and never recovered. ;-) The needles are beautiful, Lisa, and they couldn't have happened to a nicer or more deserving person, so there. :-) Oh, an dat fiber's gorgeous, too!

[Fulvia]

Interesting coincidence since not even two weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Carol myself while visiting a local museum. To think I know someone whom you also know ... as the world turns!

[Lisa S]

My oh my...the Universe is an interesting place. Kevin Bacon and Carol Soderlund... :o)

[Helle From Denmark]

Very cute knitting needles. They can always come handy!! Just found out, because i need DP needles in 3 mm, that i don't have those.......but have 2½...and 3½...that is just so typical!! But other needles you have several of!*GRIN*

Lovely colors.......the black/purple....i love that one!!!:-)

[Janice]

And the Lakeview School Safety Patrol wasn't right without you being the lieutenant either...and that math must have been the SMSG math do you remember any of that 'new' math -- I sure don't...-- I'm glad I didn't participate in that 3 yrs in 2 -- and that we graduated in '68 -- And memories of Mrs. Parisi's 5th grade class - you weren't that much of a Rebel or were you????....wow you are dipping into the old brain cells!!!and this world really is small.... but then again - no one else here can claim having you as a kindergarten buddy. very cute knitting needles ..Janice

[Lisa S]

Yeah yeah yeah...I figured that I must have been trying to be a rebel because I picked out my own clothes and hairstyle for the th grade pictures and my mother told me that she would not buy them! There you have it...maybe I looked like that Goth Kid. :o) Yes Janice, dipping the old brain cells and visualizing whirled peas...