My 8 year old is finally in a school environment where they are trying to let her work at her own pace. They have an individualized curriculum and allow me to send materials to substitute for work she knows how to do.
With kids working at their own pace, though, differences can be more apparent. The kids have started calling her "the smart kid" and she is starting to become very uncomfortable. She can't reach the AR books at her reading level (they are up high and above her reach even with the tallest ladder). She has asked me to come after school to help her get her books because she doesn't want anyone to see her getting books from the top shelves during school hours.
Obviously, we're working on reassuring her that she should be comfortable with who she is. However, I'm worried it is only going to get harder as she gets older.
Does anyone have suggestions for good suggestions for how she can respond to comments from the other kids? She says she doesn't think they realize it upsets her, so I think it might help a good deal if she could have a good response when kids make comments like that. If that isn't enough, we will have to talk with the her teacher and escalate from there.
Has anyone else had this sort of problem, where blending in becomes very difficult?
