Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Preschool 2010-2011

Today we went to introduce my son to his future karate senseis, a father and a son. �My boy sat quietly watching the younger sensei give a private lesson to one of his students. �The sensei mentioned that he noticed him paying attention. �Afterwards he visited my husband, and old student of his fathers. �Then he spoke a little with my son. �He said he could tell by talking to him that he was mature. �We told him the other day he did what my husband calls a snap kick, he jumped a couple inches off the ground and kicked my husband in the leg and landed without losing balance twice. �He demonstrated some plain kicks for the young sensei. �
Ooh, the sr. Sensei showed up at the same time as the whole crowd of the youngest class. �He ran out the door all excited and saying hi to all the energetic little kids coming into class. I called him to come back and he took off running and laughing, acting for all the world like his age as I waddled after him. �Good times. �The only kids he's ever really around is when we go to the playground at the mall, with all the chaotic running and screaming. �I guess he's been training for this particular kodak moment.

Go Kodak Moments! Yippee!

Hi Grinity,

Thanks for your thoughtul response. I don't have any 2E issues that I know of, but at the bare minumum, had /have some major OEs and sensory sensitivities. I remember getting so excited with a topic I would feel as though I was going to burst and then would blurt out answers too soon. My difficult behaviors weren't really that bad, just enough to annoy some teachers and have other teachers adore me. Once I got into independent learning situations and college and grad school, I liked school, but would get over-exited by certain topics and bubble up and over. I challenged teacher's authority esp. when it came to ideas. I was a published poet and creative writer and sometimes I would also feel that way with creative ideas. Now in late adulthood, I realize I am someowhat sensory sensitive to noises, light, smells, etc. My DD4 is getting OT for sensory issues, but so far, no one is coming up with anything else for her restlessness and talkativeness and intensity besides her personality. Time will tell. I think we both sound a little ADHD at times.
Although she said she had fun at school, she told me last night that she said things during circle time about the "baby things" they were doing. They are slowly teaching the letter A and counting to ten--really? I can't imagine that is normal four year old curriculum. I arrived early and they were doing a group activity (there are 19 of them in the class) where they had to take turns and go up and circle the letter A in text) and I was really amazed that my DD4 sat there, was quiet, and just waited her turn. Some people may see this as squashing her individuality and stunting her intellect, but I am not worried about those things with her as much as worrying about her ability to control her impulses and get along with others since those are her greater challenges.

We are visiting a gifted preschool this week. I think that it helps that they are playing or doing crafts / singing most of the day. They are also working on their writing which is great.

Yippee!! I dropped DS off at preschool today and the teacher said, "Why didn't you tell me your DS can read?" It only took her about 3 times to figure it out, she said she was suspicious about it the first week because he read a book title and she thought, "hmm maybe he has that at home" and then he read some other titles too and she thought, "hmmm, that's quite a variety of books to happen to have at home". She said she wanted to wait to be sure before she said anything to me... so she tested him... she pointed to a random T shirt and had him read it and he read just the first line which was easy words, and she said "what's the rest" and he read the more complex words right off. And then she said she was disappointed a babysitter took him and picked him up last week as she was itching to talk to me.

It was awesome because in answer to her question about why I didn't tell her I just said, "oh I didn't want to seem pushy or antyhing like that" and she brushed that aside like, "oh no I wouldn't have thought that". I'm sure I could have told her ahead and she would have not thought that of me -- but the way it's worked out she is proud of herself for making that discovery. I'm hoping maybe that gives her extra incentive to differentiate for him, if she feels some ownership for the discovery perhaps that makes her more likely to think of his reading as her own little thing, something to nurture rather than just be aware of.

She seemed genuinely excited about it, said she had told the school director because she had to tell someone. And then it was a natural progression of that conversation for me to ask about the books on the rack and ask if there, "happened to be any more somewhere for after DS has gotten through those?" (they have like three words on each page so that was my attempt to be polite about that), and she went into a story about how DS had asked where one book was that had gone missing and how she found it for him. She spontaneously said she'd be sure to change out the books weekly and include some just for him.

And so our relationship with the teacher is off on a great footing. After reading some depressing stories here about teachers not noticing for a whole year I was just gleaming all the way home.

As I left I saw DS had spelled MOON with plastic letters and was having plastic animals jump over it like in the nursery rhyme -- so I don't know how anyone could not notice, but whatever, I'm just SO thrilled she did.

Happy Polly

Great post Polly! Definitely put a smile on my face. Love the jumping over the "MOON". I hope the teacher keeps her excitement and really provides some challenging books.

Since the days are short, and they are mostly doing crafts/singing it sounds ok.



Twinkly - I wish I could help you open your eyes. Yes, Yes, 1000x Yes. This is normal. This is ok. This is even beautiful. I know you have other things to do with your brief 'free time' but I really think you need to visit Kindy classrooms and even 1st grade classrooms and other 4 year old rooms in Preschools. When you go to the 'gifted' school, be sure to spend time with the kindys and 1st graders.



I'm really glad you were able to verbalize this. I am totally not worried about squashing her individuality or stunting her intellect. Like you, I want her to be able to control her impulses and get along with others. I think it's great that she showed such control during:
And I would energize her like crazy for her ability to do this. But she has already noticed that something is very strange:
What exactly is could we hope that she could conclude from this experience? Particularly next year when it's every day and more hours? Isn't asking her to practice self control and getting along skills in this context sort of like asking a child to learn to swim in the deep end?

Again, as long as the day is mostly songs and crafts, and it's only a few days a week, and a few hours a day - it'll probably be fine. I hope what you see at the gifted school looks great. Take a good long look at having a babysitter come to your house even if you have to go out and sleep in your car in a parking lot somewhere. Keep your eyes open for a home daycare center that has older children in the afternoon after school that she would be able to interact with. Try and contact the mom of the reading boy and see if she has been able to track down any local resources, or would be willing to do 'babysitting trades' with you. I know it looks hopeless, but there is always so much more resource than a person can be aware of.

Best Wishes,
Grinity

I guess putting DD in school full time is paying off. DD has been able to comprehend Spanish forever but she is always been hesitant to speak it. She has come a long way with this issue over summer but only in school. She still divides her worlds: school is school and home is home. But over the past week I have noticed a difference. First she is drawn to French which she has for an hour every week. She runs around singing French songs in the evening. But the big yay was last night when we were in a restaurant where she talked to and order her food from the waiter all in Spanish. I really hope her confidence is building and she will become more willing to communicate outside of school.

Wow Kateln'sM_om that's great news! Your DD is young for speaking her 2nd language when she doesn't have to. It will pay off in spades if she continues. It should be relatively easy to provide at least Spanish through the years regardless of her educational environment. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks MAE... I really do hope it wasn't a fluke. Talked to the director of her school today and she mentioned how impressed she has been with DD's progression since starting full time which has only been 2 weeks.

KatelynsM_om, that's really incredible news! I didn't realize your DD was enrolled full time. I think DD3.5 could be ready for full time this year...

She starts the new school tomorrow and I can't sleep. I'm wondering how much we do now matters in the long run of our children's development. Are we choosing the right school? Full time better or part time? More work at home to challenge her?

When we had our parent-teacher introductory conference two weeks ago, I left feeling a little crest fallen. All the excitement we had melted into us realizing the school's cutting edge ways were *exactly* what we are already doing at home. I didn't realize DH and I had such a cutting edge / best practices gig going Of course we do not have the group experience, the $1 million dollar facility, and several teachers. So that will be different.

So, on the eve of the next big step for our DD3.5, I find myself questioning if we are doing the right thing or enough. She's 3.5... what are the critical issues at this age? Our home focus is on A. exploration and B. expression.