Thank you all for taking the time to reply and provide a wealth of insight for me as a parent.
I would like to balance out my post a little bit as I was obviously too gung-ho to present my son's academic capabilities and failed to shed some light on him as an individual. My husband and I were fairly quick to have him tested at an Early Steps program to check for behavioral/learning disorders. These tests were done around 20 months and he did not fall under the scale for asperger syndrome/autism.
He loves his trucks, cars & trains. Enjoys singing songs (most recently "Im a Little Tea Pot" and "BINGO"), sidewalk chalk, coloring/painting, bubbles, play-doh, playing kick ball and t-ball and riding his tractor. We have had him in swim classes, Gymboree Play & Music classes, library reading groups, and he has a small handful of friends.
All of my son's play and learning is self initiated - he brings me the puzzles & magnet letters and says "Open please". I find that although he plays as I expect him to, his desire to learn trumps everything.
In most ways, he is every bit of what you expect and hope a 2 year old to be. In other ways, he is not - not at all and this is not a negative, but a positive.
We did not request homework, nor to put him in a higher class - The higher level work was provided to us by the school on Day 2. The teacher explained to me that he is reading out loud to the class. They explained that the homework is for us to complete at home so at school he can focus on "fitting in". I do fear his boredom with his age group's curriculum may create a problem.
We are "ecstatic" to work on his homework, because HE enjoys it. When/if he says no, we move onto what he wants to do at that time. We believe he has flourished because of his own desires and initiatives. We had a nanny, but again the pressure of "he has to be socialized" by everyone (from grandmas, to pediatrician, to other moms) is why we explored a day school.
Does sending him for 3 hrs a day to school give him the opportunity to play with his peers a positive or is the separation anxiety or poor behaviors exhibited by some children going to impact him negatively? Run of the mill day care did not go well on previous attempts, so we are happy that we found a curriculum based day school.
The feedback some have provided is invaluable. I feel as though we are in a catch 22.
If learning is what he loves to do most, am I taking that away by dropping him off in a class where I know (and he knows) he is sitting through topics he has already mastered?
