I would agree that the range of behavior exhibited by children with a gift and interest for math is wide. There are certainly some who present with a thirst for more math, but there are also others who do not, for many different reasons.

As an adult, I enjoy math and STEM (no longer professionally, but with graduate STEM training, and remaining among my personal interests), but as a young child, I thought I wasn't good at it, and didn't enjoy it. Fortunately, I had a parent who knew me well enough to recognize that this was a warning sign that there was some kind of educational mismatch, rather than taking these sentiments at face value. By the time I reached middle school age, I was +4 or 5 years in math placement (depending on where you put alg II in the sequence). So clearly, my presentation regarding a love for math in the early elementary years was not predictive of my long-term trajectory.

But even if a child has a gift and affinity for math--and loves it--in-school modifications are not always the solution most suited to them. So by all means, work cordially and collaboratively with your school system regarding differentiation, but also expand your approach to resources outside of school, in the community, online, etc.


...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...