Exceptional?

My son recently underwent testing for the gifted program in his school. He had done well in the preliminary testing and this test would determine if he would be selected for the program. Having been a nerd in school, I have somewhat mixed feelings on this, but I am not going to deny him an opportunity over that. I didn't think much of the fact that he'd been selected for the additional testing until it came out that he was the only child in his class to receive this additional test. It was then that I realized that this was a legitimate screening, and not some kind of a "feel good" program. (Frankly, I was quite surprised that 2,3, or 4 students didn't undergo the additional testing.)

I guess there's some pride that he got this far. Regardless of whether he's selected for the program, it pleases me to know that he is being recognized for being bright and that our regular checking and assistance with his homework (and frequent insistence that he do the extra credit problems) is paying off.

I'm not a big fan of Garrison Keiler, but I remember laughing when I heard one of his lead-ins/outs to a Lake Wobegone radio show. It seems appropriate here:

"...Lake Wobegone, where ALL our children are exceptional."