Oh, so sorry, Mizzou! It sounds like you're in a group that really doesn't get GTness. Sadly, this can be pretty common in homeschooling groups. Some resist labels so strongly that they pooh-pooh GTness, LDs, and anything else that can really help us to figure out how to approach teaching our kids. I find this utter rejection of labels to be as senseless as those who must cling to a label regardless of all evidence to the contrary. Labels are tools. Nothing more, nothing less. They can be very helpful if used properly.
I have to admit, I find Waldorf to be screwy. Anything that says "No child should be allowed to do X until they are X years old" doesn't respect the individual. Period. If you're dealing with someone who is quoting the Waldorf Method to you chapter and verse, then you probably ought to just drop it. You're not going to find common ground. IMHO...
To be honest, I avoid talking GT stuff to my homeschooler friends unless I know they accept the premises of GTness. It's just easier. And people who accept both GTness and homeschooling are out there. You may just not have found them yet.
You don't sound competitive or comparing. You just sound frustrated and wishing that someone around you accepted your reality. I wish they did, too.
At least you have us!
My best advice: stop talking about your kids. The other parents will either see that your kids are way ahead on their own, but are also happy, healthy, "normal" people who are not being pushed, or they won't. Either way, it's not your problem. Talk about the weather, curriculum, the news...anything but GTness and how far ahead your kids are.
To cite another thread, it may be time to put on the intellectual overcoat and stop flashing these people!
