The pack is not just kids from our school, it also includes a couple of other schools around here. The den DS was invited to join consists of first graders. DS knows these kids from Kindergarten last year.
The den mother is a 2nd grade teacher at DS's school. She was DD's teacher two years ago. I want to give it a try because DS is very enthusiastic, but I am feeling a little wary because of something this teacher said to me last week.
We had stopped by her classroom after school to chat because DD wanted to say hi, and that was when this teacher told me that when she is on yard duty at recess, DS spends his entire recess talking to her and wanting to know what the different keys on her lanyard are for. She said, "He is very interested in those keys" in a tone that implied that it was something abnormal. She also said she needs to "find him a buddy". She suggested to DS that he play with the first graders he knows but he told her that all they want to do is chase him and he doesn't want to play that game. I think that he wants to hang out with her because he knows her, likes to talk to adults and feels safe from the chasing kids when he is with a teacher.
I definitely got the feeling that she thinks DS has some sort of social problem and that she may not approve of the gradeskip. Knowing her from when DD was in her class, I requested a different 2nd grade teacher for DS because I already had the sense that although DS likes her, it would not be a good match. This teacher had confided in me about her older son and her struggles to get him id'ed as GT at his school (not our school). I don't know what the outcome of that was. Her younger son is DS's age and in Kindergarten. He is one of the Tiger cubs in her den. I feel like there's something going on beneath the surface of our cordial relationship but I'm not sure what it is...
On top of that, we had a bad experience with a Brownie troop when DD was in 2nd grade. <shiver>
I'm a person who is very wary of any kind of new situation, especially social situations, and it's hard for me to separate that feeling from real alarms bells. So thanks for letting me talk it out!
