Cathy - well I got into bed but laid awake for some time. THe toddler (whom I also refer to as the baby lol) has a stuffy nose she tossed and turned and moaned and cried out for a couple of hours. Also, I have a just turned 5yr old as well so 3 kids altogether.
I should also add that my 2nd grader is not DYS. He qualifies based on VCI of the WISCIV (well assuming my calc and Dottie's calcs are correct. I'm still waiting for psych to recalculate) and we haven't done achievement testing yet. At this point, given how the school has failed him, I scared to think how he might score on an achievement test. Teachers claim that they all even out ... well, yes, it's b/c they hold the bright kids back. NCLB - No CHild Leaps Beyond.
I asked him about school this morning. He said it was boring, I asked him to elaborate. He said b/c he gets the stuff at school over and over and over that I taught him at home. We talked about how he was ready and asking and needing to learn earlier than other kids. My DH and i are both scientists so science is in our blood just as a matter of living the day we talk about insects, nature, space, chemistry, physics etc. In the Spring, Summer and Fall we do a nature study at a local pond that we monitor weekly or more often. We watch the frogs mating, eggs being laid, eggs developing, hatching, tadpoles developing...well you get the picture. But every year these same topics are covered and more shallow than we've covered. Social studies has been new for him and he has enjoyed that but he says it doesn't compare to the history we were doing at home. He's really, really into WWII and loves Ancient History.
Anyhow, I asked him what does he think we should do. He suggested we talk to the Principal. Now I could not get this kid to even write a letter to the Principal asking for more balls for recess - I'm shocked he came up with that.
A friend of mine, her DS's preK teacher said that in all her 30yrs of teaching, she has never come across a child as advanced as her son. She went to our districts Parent meetings for rising Ker's. A mom asked about what if child knows everything the teacher had just listed. The teacher replied "Well then that kid needs to find something else to do." My friend met w/ the Principal after hearing that statement and the only thing she had to say was "the only kids that are bored in K are the ones that spend all day watching TV and playing video games. They just want to be constantly entertained." She wasn't even listening to her saying that her son had mastered those things 2yrs ago. Our district according to the GT coordinator has a No acceleration policy. Another friend was told, regarding grade skipping "Oh that's not done any longer." DS's current Principal (according to an inside source of mine) appears to be all-show and not much substance. THis is his first year as Principal, was VP. I really don't feel I'd get very far advocating. I think the feeling is that our district is the best in the county so they don't really need to do anything else. I hate the year to year changing teachers wondering if you're going to get *the* good one. And you don't know who the good one is until half way through the year until she find out he/she deals w/ your child. We had a good 3rd grade line-up (4/6 teachers were considered very good) but 2 of them has been moved to 5th grade while 2 of the poor 5th grade teachers have been moved down to 3rd. Lovely.
I'm thinking seriously of HSing DS in Fall.
