First, thank you very much to everyone who has taken the time to respond. I appreciate it very much! I feel like most people don't want to hear about this sort of problem.
She's a DYS, so we do have that resource. We often feel like we'll have no choice but to homeschool at some point, but she wants to be with other kids and doesn't like the idea of being at home (I know there are many options for homeschooled children to socialize, but it wouldn't be as much as at school).
She doesn't feel like the other kids want to make her feel upset, but maybe it would help to give an example. Sometimes the kids work in groups to do projects. She says her group usually works out the problem first (again, this is her report and I don't know if it's true). Then the other group will say, "No fair! You had the smart kid!." It's not clear to me whether it's good natured teasing or if they really do feel it's unfair.
The positive side of it is that she isn't hiding her abilities right now; she wants to be the first to figure out whatever the problem is regardless of whether she gets teased. I have just heard that middle school is often when kids "go underground" and it concerns me that she doesn't want others to see her getting difficult books.
She says she is willing to say something to the other kids. I think she would probably rather do that than have the teacher say something. However, she isn't sure what to say. It may be as simple as saying, "Please don't call me that" or "We all worked together to finish this project." I think one complicating factor is that she LIKES to be the one responsible for solving it first. So she may feel conflicted about wanting to share the credit versus wanting to be complimented, even though being singled out makes her feel uncomfortable.
She feels lonely being different.
Last edited by apm221; 01/18/14 05:16 PM.
