That is frustrating, let us know how things go. I have a child that is "silly" at school when he gets bored too...so I can relate. One day he told me that it would be too boring if he doesn't do silly things. Thankfully he does pretty well at home...he saves it all up for school I guess.

the equation is as follows:

lack of physical exercise + boredom = DS6 being silly

the solution:

teacher writing DS6 notes (lack of physical exercise + boredom) = (DS6 writing back * expressing his feelings) - DS6 being silly


or something like that.
Anyway, his teacher started writing him notes about his behavior but included what he does well (behavior wise, etc). and it's helped!

Thanks mom2twoboys!

Kriston:

DS6 likes the Singapore Math books. He prefers the textbook much better than the workbook. I think it's largely b/c the textbook is in color and the workbook isn't, but it also lets him move more quickly. I tend to take the textbook away every so often and only give him the workbook to make sure he really gets the practice and know that he's learned what he's supposed to.

I don't know why Singapore Math doesn't just do everything in color, even though it might cost a bit more. My older one had the same issue -- loved all the color placement tests and textbook; once he saw the b&w workbooks, he simply decided he'd learn math another way. Seems so silly!

Probably because of kids like my son. He actually prefers the B&W stuff. He's very visual, and I think the color and pictures distract him. He loves the "Key to" math series because it's all B&W and has no pictures. He can focus better.

Okay, here's a positive post on K progress and challenge. We only see the homework coming home, so were concerned about the challenge in K. We had DS6 assessed at CTY and provided the report in advance of our conference to the K teacher. She has been challenging him and took the recommendations from CTY seriously. She just started him on an independent research project on the subject of his own choosing (Dinosaurs, of course!). He is going through books and tabbing new facts he is learning and will eventually put together a powerpoint presentation for the class on his project. Wow! We had no idea about this project because DS6 isn't very forthcoming about his schoolwork, but we like what we heard from his teacher. We still are concerned about his math instruction (Everyday Math), but otherwise are happy with the challenge and progress he is making. We would like to see him placed with the more advanced learners in his school next year. Hopefully our teacher next year will be as accomodating. DS6 told us not to tell his teacher that he was bored (a common complaint at the beginning of the year), but that school was still too easy. I think it is progress. We are still applying for the magnet next year, but if we get another teacher that is willing to challenge our DS6 in 1st like his K teacher and the reading and math specialist, I think staying where we are won't be the end of the world. We are working on getting more challenging homework. Right now he gets the same as everyone else, which is about a half an hour a week max. I feel much better after seeing what he is actually doing in school. Keeping the lines of communication open with frequent conferences (our third this year) seems to be doing the trick. We are also doing EPGY. Our DS6 seems to have found his level around 1.7 in math. He also enjoys the LAW program, but it moves more slowly with all of the drag and drop problems. Just wanted to update our progress.

thanks for sharing.

Just thought I'd see how all the Kindergarteners/1st graders were doing now that the school year is coming closer to an end...


We have a month left of school. DS6 has done extremely well with his move to 1st, other than problems with his behavior (worse now towards the end of the year). He's so bored still. He will be moving to a different school next year, and hopefully, I can discuss possible subject acceleration with the teachers/principal there. I cannot believe it's been almost a year already. He has made so many positive strides. I am so thankful that we were able to accelerate him with such ease. I think second grade will prove more challenging for him, since there will be more "new" concepts added.

I agree it's hard to believe kindergarten is almost over already! For us, it really couldn't have gone any better. DS started at age 4.5 in a really small class and was subject accelerated in all core subjects, doing 3rd and 4th grade language arts work and 2nd and 3rd grade math. He had a great teacher who patiently worked through his perfectionist meltdowns to get him to the point where he's now writing/spelling constantly, without tears. He's also made huge leaps in math and seems to have more mental energy than ever. I feel like a great parent for having had the courage to start him early in a nontraditional school, but I doubt I would have had the foresight to do it had it not been for this forum!

Fortunately, our school is K-12, so the future is looking good. Next year, DS will be in a multi-age progressive primary classroom that combines grades 1 and 2. He'll have individualized instruction again, be in a class with kids his age and 1-2 years older, and have the same teacher for two years, which all sounds good. In short, we seem to have hit the jackpot!

It's so nice to hear the great updates! For us, this year has been great too (except for a slow start the first half of the year). DS6 has been getting accelerated math and some differentiation within the classroom for reading. We will be meeting with the school soon to discuss grade acceleration to 2nd (I think everyone agrees about this, so I don't foresee problems with this. Of course, I'll be sure to post here for support if there are problems!) I'm a little nervous about him losing his friends and moving to a different school for 2nd, but academically it is so right. Well, as long as there is continued acceleration as well! We have been so happy with the school. Everyone seems to get our DS6 now.