Wow - Everyone is very helpful here. It is nice to talk to others with understanding of the gifted. As for how school was for me - my parents were just like Algus. They are extremely smart, but very disorganized so I really had to be organized and on top of everything. I made friends well until around 8th grade and then I was in sports so much, all my friends were just from the gym and not from school. Dad was homecoming king and everyone has always loved him. My mother had lots of trouble making friends in school. She is now wonderfully popular and has a great life.
The answer to "Is she happy?" is so difficult. She doesn't interact in school. She loves her new teacher because he recognizes her gifts. She says she doesn't want to do anything after school just, "come home and read." We have put her in an art class and she likes it but she is also the oldest and does better with smaller children. She goes with brother and sister and myself to the children's science center 2 times and week and seems to like that but tends to go off and do her own thing. She would rather not go to school or extracurricular activities. We are in the position where I could homeschool, but there are many problems with that - she is almost above what I can teach and the social "thing" doesn't get fixed.
We really thought that she should be allowed to have whatever friends she wanted without us judging her. Now though, I think that that may be wrong. She has one girl that comes over and plays at our house. Through some huge stroke of luck, she is a wonderful and friendly girl. The teacher didn't even know that they are friends at school. I don't think that the friend is shunning her, I think that Algus just reads all recess. We know people that have girls her age and we invite them over, but this really stresses Algus out and she will stay in her room reading the whole time. She feels comfortable with the younger boys that brother has over though.
The school will never be a good fit. We live in a state with no gifted and talented funding. Just this year, there is a part time person for the whole school. He is very nice, but is really doing a pilot program with the 3rd grade (great for brother). He says he takes Algus out and she loves it, but alot of the time, she hasn't done, or can't find her homework and so can't participate. We have great and caring teachers and a great principal, but limited resources. We have talked about online courses and Algus seems to think that would be fun. Dad is worried taking her out to do these makes it even harder to socialize.
Thanks for your time, it is greatly appreciated.
Horton
