My 6 1/2 year old has been confirmed gifted by her school district. She has been lucky, and is in a self-contained classroom.

While many kids on this board and gifted boards truly have that need to do very academic items, that has never been her passion.

She ignored letters until she was 4. Over the course of the year, she has made occasional comments like she wishes school was on the weekends and she was home during the week, so school was less. She does fine in her class, is a few grades ahead, but the academic side is not her passion.

Her passion has always been pretend, stories, ideas, drawing, etc. Her free time is taken up by these items.

She has always been fascinated with drawing people. I saw a good art class I could sign her up for, and she was very excited about the concept, but when I tried to explain what the class would be about, she didn't want to take it. I figured as much, because her idea of what the class should be, versus what it was, I knew would differ highly.


I guess where I am stuck is figuring out how to best advocate for my child, not in one particular classroom situation, but in life. Her is a very gifted child, but her passion just doesn't jive with schools, and I'm not ready to attempt any sort of homeschool.

I feel we are getting to a point that I really need to advocate for 'something' very creative outside of school, that will let her really explore and use that side of her, and let others see that side of her. Drama classes I feel are out, because her articulation is still fairly poor. Art classes, she is reluctant with too much structure.

I'm not sure I'm expressing myself well, but does anyone have a child like this? The reluctant academically very gifted, but utterly passionate creative? I really feel for the upcoming years ahead that creativeness will be very critical, but I just am not sure how to nurture her area best, when she is just 'eh' about school. I'm sort of at this 'lost' point.


Tammy