I just want to toss in our elementary experience to the mix of stories that is going up here. I know it is unusual compared to others on the board. I don't know how unusual it is in general.
We did nothing to prepare the school for our child. We went to the Kinder screening in the spring like everyone else. He was screened by Mrs. K who saw immediately the kind of kid he was. In the fall, he arrived, the teacher remembered him and within the first week, she had him with full library priviliges. She had him tested (on the STAR test) and based on that got him going with accelerated reader tests at the 4th grade level. She differentiated the curriculum in math and other subjects. She kept him very challenged. But the other thing she did was she bragged about him in the staff room. She made sure he got a good teacher for him in 1st and from then on he was a legend at the school and I never really had to do anything.
The other thing that happened was that I volunteered there regularly and developed a wonderful relationship with everyone at the school. They knew that I cared about all the kids and wasn't just focused on mine. So when I did ask for something, they took me very seriously.
These two things, a wonderful K teacher and my volunteering, made for a great experience for DS.
I almost wonder if going in ahead to ask for things might have changed this relationship. There was something magical in her face as she "discovered" him during the screening. If I had gone in ahead and prepped her, I am afraid it would have made her look at what he could do more critically.
I know others have used my approach at it backfired big time, so I don't mean to suggest it is the approach to use. I just suspect that any approach could backfire and for us the low key approach worked marvelously.
