Wow. I just registered here - and appreciate reading some other experiences! I have a 6 year old in 1st grade. He has been identified as gifted through both the CogAt and Stanford tests. (I think I have the names right - this is new to me.) We just got the Stanford results a few days ago. He has been complaining since we started in a new school district this year about how much he hates school. I'm so upset about how unhappy and frustrated he seems. He seems to be making friends ok, and teacher doesn't seem to think there is a big problem. He also says school is "too hard" - but the work he is bringing home is SOOOOO easy for him! He loves math, and at home on his own time has learned to add long numbers and do multiplication - yet his math assignments are 2+3, and 4+1. The reading he is assigned is "baby reading" according to him.

I suspect what he is finding "too hard" is the tedium of spending hours cutting up all the "ing" words on a sheet to glue them onto construction paper - when he could be reading chapter books! His school has what sounds like a pretty good gifted program, but not until 3rd grade. All the staff at the school keep telling me how wonderful his teacher is at meeting the needs of smart kids - but that's not my experience at all! I have spoken and met and emailed with her a number of times - gingerly, respectfully - about what I think he can be doing, and yet nothing seems to change.

Now, my boy is not very motivated, I'm afraid. He is not going to put forth effort to find harder work for himself. But I'm really worried that he is learning that he never has to work in school, that he's getting a horrible attitude toward school, and that by 3rd grade he will be unable/unwilling to put forth effort to work hard!!

I'm feeling a lot of pressure from the school not to rock the boat - he's fine, he's only in 1st grade, etc etc. So I'm feeling confused and conflicted about how hard I should be pushing here.

I'm planning a conference with his teacher and the school counselor now that we have his test results, and think that I will be more forceful than I have been before - specifically asking if he could perhaps be exempted from some of this easy easy stuff in favor of other activities. I've heard there are websites with math-at-your-own-pace; am wondering if there is something similar for reading.

I could use advice, though! Ideas for what kids might do within a classroom like this; opinions on how pushy I should be, and how to keep the relationship with the teachers/school positive; how to introduce this harder work to my son so that it seems fun, and not like a burden to him.

I don't feel like homeschooling is a good option for us! But I'm wondering if I'm doing him a disservice by keeping him in school. Ack!

Thanks for your help!
Susan