Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Middle school year

Jtooit and Dottie,

It's comforting to know that others have been there and understood our reluctance to decide one way or the other. Now that he has a 'good group' of kids that he's really comfortable with, he's really reluctant to let that go. He even made a comment about how he did not want to do anything academic this summer because he wanted to be dumber so that he would not have to leave his friends!

We are on board with him on this issue. Finding a good group is no easy task. Sometimes, it's by chance, too! Despite the best effort of teachers in getting a good group in each class, some kids just don't 'gel' together.

On the other hand, we felt that we needed to, at least, explore the possibility, considering that the school actually offered this option. We wanted to make sure that his academic needs would be met whether by acceleration in whatever forms. So we spoke to him and our younger ones about how when blessed with a gift, we have to make sure that we take good care of it and nurture it.

Jtooit, it's great that your DS has a great year, and that the school is very supportive! I'm just hoping that our DS will have a good year next year, too.

Tomorrow, he will get a chance to shadow in 7th grade class. We'll finalize our decision this Friday. Our wonderful Principal leaves the door open if we (or more like our DS) decide(s) that he wants to get accelerated later.

So essentially when they are grouped together, the score for both girls and boys are lower? Interesting ...

I've heard something similar in a presentation from a Catholic school that separates the children by gender starting in 3rd grade (I think ... it was many years ago). The idea is that that's about the age when they start noticing the other gender. They're trying to nip it in the bud before any issues arise, I suppose ...

We don't really see many issues between boys and gender. They were many problems in 4th grade among the girls, though, but it seems to have subsided now in 5th. Maybe it will this come back again in 7th grade?

I read in a Gifted Child Today book on Mathematics in one study that the gender separation really worked-- for the girls. The middle school girls in general asked many more questions about the topic before starting their work, and asked deeper and more abstract questions. The boys jumped right to the problems and would only ask questions if they were having trouble. The girls grades really catapulted upward, many many more A's. The boys grades in this study actually decreased...
Obviously there are many factors at work here... but interesting nonetheless.