...As much as I want teachers to know, I downplay it to everyone else... including him. (Need to find the right balance.) Interestingly, DS' peers perceive his gifts with enthusiasm -- aware of his differences and excited for him in an innocent way. It's the parents' responses to their own children's observations that are more mixed... and that worry me. When I imagine the next few years, I want him to be aware of his intellectual strengths and to develop strength of character to match.
Yes, this about the enthusiasm and innocence of children.
When my son learned four weeks into school we were going to place him from third to 4th, starting the next day, it was a bit overwhelming to him. I drove him into school and walked him in that day (we usually drop off without parent getting out) to hand him over to the guidance counselor to facilitate the move. As we were waiting for the gait to open, DS told one of his classmates that we ran into. The classmate said with great big bug eyes, "Wow!" Pause as he processed it. Then said, "That will be good for you!" The other kids know and they don't need an IQ score to know. Six words said it all and were just the right words for my ds to hear.
