I wonder if it's all tied up with the princesses somehow, and I'm only partially kidding. My DS barely 4's preschool is full of girls loving the princesses, and though she was much more about "Dora" at 2 and 3, she is definitely into princesses and the attention she gets when she dresses up like one. All well and good, but when you actually read any princess stories, it gets a little nauseating, always being saved by the prince after being locked up, etc. You rarely see the princesses solving math problems, working, or curling up with an exciting book. Sorry, Rapunzel.
My HG DS6 just finished a year of essentially mainstream kindergarten, and as I look back on the year, I wonder whether it was good for him or not. He' a lot like the boy in the article, so the year started out great, then devolved into boredom since nothing was new and it was repetitive, friendships unraveled, and he wasn't very into it by the end. He's starting a program for HG/PG kids this fall and couldn't be happier ... he met the kids at shadow day and really hit it off. I just wonder how much more complicated that switch would be for my daughter and if a year in a mainstream kindergarten would be even worse for her. I was all about full-day kindergarten vs. half day (in AZ that's a big thing), but maybe less really is more for gifted girls who might need to learn more confidence to stand out and be the smart one.
Kerry, I do the pep talks too!