I recall grade school math being something like the movie "Ground Hog Day"... And, this year we are going to learn to multiply again, but with two digits. Next year, now let's try three digits.

Well, the version of events I got at home was somewhat different than the version I got from the teacher through the filter of DW, who was feeling overwhelmed during the conversation because the teacher was talking pretty fast. There wasn't a "telling off" so much as an outraged, "Really?", and DD shoved the paper into her backpack to take home and do, so there was no refusal. There was no disciplinary issue, then, but the teacher was so shocked to see DD angry that she was calling to make sure everything was okay at home.

Oh, sure, everything's great at home, the problems are all at school, thanks.

The trigger, according to DD, was a four-question quiz on long division at the beginning of the day's lesson. Score 100%, and she can go do 6th grade work. Otherwise, it's sit through the lesson, and do the homework assignment. DD says all her answers were correct in the form she provided, but two had remainders, and they were marked wrong because she was supposed to extend them out to decimals instead. DD says they'd been doing the remainder for weeks, and there were no instructions on the paper to do anything else.

If all of her claims are true, I'd call that justifiable outrage. Not that she'd lie... I'm sure that the way she described it is how she experienced it. She may have misread the paper, or been distracted during a key instruction, or have had math errors she didn't notice, though. If they were right, but in the wrong format, the teacher could have simply sent DD back to rework the problems into the correct format, rather than just marking them wrong.

DD still got her thumbs-up.

Not really a brag, more of a breakthrough. Ds 4.3 finally realized he CAN read! I knew he could. He's been spelling for 6+ months. He would read words, but kept saying, " Maybe I'll be able to read when I'm 6 or hopefully by 5.". Last night, he read "Put Me in the Zoo" by himself. (He's only heard this story once awhile ago, so I know it wasn't memorized.) Hopefully, I'll finally stop hearing, "Why didn't you sign me up for reading class?" So annoying, as all the other kids in his class are being hothoused and going to "reading class" after school.

Melessa, it's really unfortunate that your DS is surrounded by hothoused classmates but nonetheless, it's great that he was able to break that wall.

Reading class for 4 year olds might sound strange but we have those programs in our city too. Some parents feel preschool is the new 1st grade.

Dude, that's great that your DD is giving some push-back when her advocacy isn't heard! I recall she tends to be a chameleon, so this is BIG.

Melessa, that's terrific! Was there a precipitating event that led to his realizing he could read, or did it just happen spontaneously?

I feel like we just won the lottery! After months of painful advocacy we found out our efforts were successful. DD5 will be starting first grade after the break! It also feels great that our case was instrumental in forcing the district and school to look and and write policy for whole grade acceleration. Hopefully our efforts will make it much easier for those who come behind us.

That's wonderful news, TNC! You must be chuffed that your son's case is paving the way for a better education for many other students. Reading your post has brought a big smile to my face.

(bump)

This one's a true, unadulterated brag, with no other aspirations.

I just had to break up a fight between DS5 and his father.

It was about the order in which electrons fill p versus s orbitals. They were really going at it. DS was correct. His dad was not. Oy, but hard heads run in this family.

DS was sticking to his guns, and he gets triple points for a) being right, b) knowing it, and c) providing references to two published works to support his points(!). While bathing.