HI everyone!

        My name is Nina and I guess I was that rarest of the rare--very highly gifted and made very good grades and was never considered lazy.  I was pathologically compliant. I was not bored in school although I thought it was excruciatingly easy.  I just kept my nose in a book.  Virtually never spoke.  Read it once and that was all that was necessary.  I think I did not realize until much later how much potential was being wasted.  I went to school, I went home.  I had no friends, no social life and virtually no recognition from my parents that more was necessary.  At about 30 I started to get really angry about my formal education and I've been angry ever since.  My self esteem was so low that it never occurred to me to expect anything better or fight for anything when younger.  Now I know better.

        I have 2 children, Collin age 11, and Leah age 6.  Collin started off in a private school for kindergarten and was expelled before the 6th week for major behavioral problems.  Funny thing was he was not a problem at home except being slow to warm up to anything new.  Sweet child.  Then he attended public school for 2 years where they recognized his giftedness but did not feed it.  They concentrated on his "behavioral" problems.  As his behavior began to conform he became an underachiever.  They were happy, I was not.  After a transition stint of 4 months in a Montessori school, I took him home and we've never looked back.

        Leah goes to a Montessori school by her choice this year.  Next year she will be homeschooled.  She would probably do fine in public school and it would probably ruin her.  Like it nearly did me.

        We live in the Austin area where I grew up.  I am a child psychiatrist and my husband is a pediatrician.  Neither one of us is particularly happy with being in medicine at this point.  We are in the process of making major changes in our lifestyle this year.  Hopefully the big transformation will be complete in the next 12 months.

        As you can see, I can go on and on.  And if you ask, you will find I have a strong opinion about everything.  I remember as a child (around 11) thinking, "I have no opinions or thoughts of my own."  Must be making up for lost time.  Bear with me.  I do have a great sense of humor which allows me to poke fun at myself if reminded.  I am looking forward to this list.

Nina

Birth dates:   Collin    1987
                      Leah    1992