Can I kvell?

svengandhi

Well-Known Member
My difficult child, Mr. I don't believe in studying, the boy I call the Leona Helmsley of HW (it's only for the little people, not him!) - was named a National Merit Scholarship commended student for the HS class of 2012! He won't go further in the competition because, after this point (which is dependent only on the PSAT score) GPA comes in to play and his doesn't match his ability.

Anyway, I still don't know if he'll graduate HS, but ... tonight, he made us proud.
 

svengandhi

Well-Known Member
Thanks, Star -

Ironically, of all my boys, difficult child is the biggest mensch (besides baby boy, but he's only 12). It's nice to talk the "mama loshen" occasionally!!
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
My Grandma and My Mother - did 2 things when we were little - Yiddish and Pig Latin - My Yiddish is a little stale because there is no one around to kibbitz with, utbay imay igpapy atinlay isay itray ongay.

Congrats!
 

muttmeister

Well-Known Member
Congratulations. I was a National Merit Scholarship commended student back about 1965 and I wasn't living up to my potential then either. Some of us just take a little while longer to get started.:rolleyes:
 
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M

ML

Guest
he may not be fulfilling his potential but he is still fairly young and with the brains he has there is always hope.
 

Estherfromjerusalem

Well-Known Member
Svengandhi, congratulations. You have a right to be proud of your son. Kvell away!

Terry, to "kvell" is to "shep nachas." What it means is to get deep satisfaction and joy from your child. I can't think of an equivalent word in English.

Star, I think I would like to know more about your mother and grandmother. Who spoke Yiddish? Who spoke Latin?

Love, Esther
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Congrats!!! I was a Nat'l merit Finalist - it paid for my college tuition the first few years. Even with that level of honor your son may get some type of academic scholarship. It is a really BIG achievement to even get to where he is now!

Regardless of what he does gradewise, if you can get him into a study skills course early in college life it will help a LOT. An accellerated reading program will also help most people. I made husband take one when he started grad school and it made a world of difference in his grades and confidence.
 

svengandhi

Well-Known Member
Thank you everyone. I am still so happy... The dean rolls his eyes every time I say that difficult child is bright - well, now it's not just me saying it.

Susiestar -

Wowsie on the NMF! You must be a genius and I don't say that lightly! difficult child won't go past commended because they require a matching GPA to advance but I don't care. He KNOWS how to study, he just doesn't believe in HW. The kids he tutors (in physics, math and business law) all made the Honor Roll, but he didn't... His reading is amazing - he just took a Kurt Vonnegut out of the library to read after his AP test tomorrow. Sadly, my local CC honors program won't look at him without an appeal because they don't count SAT, only GPA!

Esther - The English word is BRAG! which is why I can come here but not say anything to people in in real life.

ML - I truly hope so...

Terry - Not quite opposite... As you can see, I can kvell and kvetch about him in the same post.

Muttmeister - Congrats. You were a teacher, right? I would be thrilled if difficult child was to become a teacher, my daughter is studying education now... Baby boy says difficult child is the best math teacher he's ever had.

Hounddog - Thank you. It's hard to live in the moment.

Star - Yiddish and Latin (pig or regular?). I am on my 4th child studying Latin and I really love it. My language up through college was Hebrew, though, sadly, when I was in school, we were not taught to converse, so I can read and write and have a basic convo (Is this the temple? Are you a boy?) but I couldn't speak to Esther in the language of my ancestors. I would also like to hear about your grandmas...

Again, everyone, thank you for letting me share a happy moment that I can't share in real life - even with H, who's dyslexic and claims he owed points on his SAT.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Svenghandi,

My GreatGrandmother and Grandfather are from England, they are registered in the Ellis Island manifests (I think that's what you call them). My Grandma, was one of 13 or 14 - she wasn't sure. She believes she was born in either 1900 or 1901, but when they finally got around to getting her a genuine birth certificate, I believe it said 1910. I'm a little fuzzy on those details, but there was something about that as I remember. There was no actual record of her birth, and no one could remember if there were two siblings before her or one. She remembers for sure a brother that died in his early teens, but possibly a child when she was younger. She raised 13 siblings. All of my Grandmothers brothers served in most of the major wars, married for life, none divorced, all had at least three children. The women that they married brought a variety of ethnicity to our family. Weddings were to say the least always a learning experience. There were Jewish weddings, High Mass Catholic weddings (omg how long was that?), Italian weddings - (in my humble opinion always the very most fun), and Greek weddings (another favorite).

The languages that were spoken were introduced either by the Uncles or the Aunties - I'm guessing mostly by the Aunties married into by the Brothers. The Pig Latin was a way for Mom and Grandma to speak without the little ones in the room knowing what they were saying because as we got older? When the women were in the room and someone would say Oy vey? The kids would start as children do saying "Oy vey" for everything and if certain rather undesirable words of Yiddish were explained and used to convey something in a conversation, which were understood amongst adults, but latched onto by kids? Well then you had 25 kids running around outside yelling that word and ten women inside trying not to laugh, and of course explain without explaining WHY you can't say that word, when Mommy was. Kapish? So I guess at the age of knowledge they started speaking Pig Latin which was a lot less easier to understand when spoken faster. Except for myself who LOVES languages. I would sit and listen and listen and when I finally figured it out? I felt like I was a genius.

I think everyone should have to take Latin. I log on to an on line Latin course ever now and then - but it's not the same as having a real -life Prof. and a class where you can get feed back. I'm taking Speed Spanish right now. Having a Learning Disability (LD) and trying to take a speed-language is a bit of a challenge but I'm down for it. I wish I knew exactly what my Learning Disability (LD) was - but I just don't retain anything. Not like I used to and for 46? That's a litle more than scary. Some days I'm glad I can remember my own name. I am very impressed that you are on your 4th year of Latin - it's extremely hard. Helpful with other languages for sure but WOW very impressive! Congrats.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Svengandi

I'm no genius..............but I used to be a difficult child.

Have to say I shared your son's view on homework. I suppose I should say "share" as for the most part I still feel that way, at least in the lower grades to some extent. I think they've gone over board in the homework dept.

Teachers used to ask me why I flat out refused to do homework. I'd reply because school was between such and such hours.......the rest was MY time, not school time. lol

That said, I never flunked a class. Stayed on honor roll in High School. Even graduated with almost twice as many credits as I needed. Wasn't that I didn't like school or learning. But there was a set time for school and in my difficult child mind, that is when school stuff should take place. Had some issues with geometry.......teacher got around my stubborness by having me come in for extra help during my 2 study halls. lol It worked......I got A's. Forgot it the moment the class was over though.

I never did "homework" or even studied until almost 30 yrs later when I went to college. Still didn't like it, but college is college and I was footing the bill. lol

Did make for some strange homework wars though with my own kids. I felt like a hypocrite for years.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
pssssst. Sven - Hound is a bit of an exaggerater......she is soooooooooooo smart. (the part where she says I'm no genius) HA! Modesty will get you everywhere.
 
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