Sorry in advance if long- looking for thoughts--
My 5 yo son just started Kindergarten the beginning of August at a public school. I let his teacher know that he was reading and we were on the 1st grade Hooked on Phonics, although he can ready some higher level words as well. He can also add, subtract been exposed to multiplication and division and has worked with negative numbers since he asked what came before zero. He is interested in lots of science material like planets, weather, the body and so we we learn about these things at home.
The school newspaper indicated that progress reports were going out on Friday. No progress report. A few moms I know w/ children in K said that the school had had problems getting them ready and described what their child had gotten. Come Wednesday no status report so I call his teacher and she says that progress reports aren't mandatory so she didn't do one but she wanted us to get together at some point to talk about what I was doing, show me what she was doing so we could be on the same page, and that she didn't have time to work with my child, but she would have to get back with me to set up a time since she had to set up meetings with other children' parents, counselors, psychologists, etc.
The following week, the school has a curriculum night and I attended and on the way out I was chit chatting with her and we get into a conversation about something my child is interested in and she makes the comment that I need to keep my child at grade level and tells me about how he was talking to the other kids about something (reading between the lines--above grade level) that was confusing to the other children.
I'm beyond shocked and sick at my stomach over this. Conference week is still a couple of weeks away, I've left two messages that have gone unreturned to the assistant principal. I asked specifically about differentiation before I enrolled him and know I have been lied to. I am seriously considering pulling him out homeschooling this year just so he won't be dumbed down althought he will greatly miss the socialization, gym , music, art. Im, really at a loss.
It's a shame, a bright kid like my son get the education and challenge he deserves.
