His kindergarten/first grade teacher didn’t focus much or differentiate in his academic strengths, but she did absolute wonders for him in his social skills and emotional control.
These kids can be complex, and we often find that we have to pick just one of their needs to deal with at school at any given time - social, emotional, behavioral, academic.... Which need is causing the most distress and is the most pressing? And which one does the child require to be addressed
within their school day, and can't be readily supported at home or through extracurriculars?
This is the calculus that varies not just for every child, but at different times for each child.
So for instance, I have a kid who when he isn't being academically challenged, just doesn't function well socially, and develops major mental health problems. Other kids have a lot of behaviour issues when their academic needs aren't being met. But in contrast, lots of kids meet their social needs at school and learn at home. It just depends on the kid. My best advice is to pay a lot of attention to how your child responds to a variety of environments, and try to figure out which needs you can meet in different ways. And be prepared to change course, possibly a lot.
Good luck!
