Thanks, Kriston!

GATE:
pros--DD would be guaranteed a spot in honors classes from 4th grade thru high school. 4th-6th are served by gifted clusters of 4-8 kids within a regular class (not sure that's a pro, but that's all there is) taught by GATE certified teacher.

cons--the 4th grade gifted teacher would not be a good match for my DD. I know her. I'm pretty sure about that. The test is not administered under the best circumstances for my DD to perform well (CogAT=2+hrs in the District Board Room with a whole bunch of other kids.) She only gets one shot. After that, the only way to get into GATE is on teacher recommendation. Teachers don't seem to recognize my DD as gifted. She doesn't let on that she knows long division or talk about what she reads at home. Her handwriting and spelling are very average.

Maybe I'll just have her wait a year to skip that particular teacher's class and take the GATE test next year when she's got more test taking experience under her belt.

As for my son, I think his teacher doesn't really get how out there he is. He is very quiet in class and doesn't participate much. I'm sure she has no idea of the extent of his math and reading abilities or his knowledge of science. I'm not really sure what she can do for him anyway, so maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut. Her only comment on his interim report was that he needed work on coloring inside the lines. OK, maybe that's true, but it seems a shame that he can't do something interesting to him at school. He tells me it's too easy. He says he wants to do a science class. I told him to tell his teacher that he likes science. He said, "It would probably be too hard for the other kids." He is definitely noticing that he is different even though I have never told him anything like that.

He was working with another teacher in a small group when she asked the kids if there were any people in the classroom. Then they listed different words for people (kids, teachers, students, girls, boys, etc.) Then the teacher asked if there were any animals in the classroom. The kids were silent because they couldn't see any. Then DS said, "dust mites!" I asked him why he said dust mites and he told me it was because he was sure there were some even though they are microscopic. Later, he told me that he could also have mentioned that people are mammals but he didn't want to confuse the other kids because the teacher was talking about people and animals as being separate.

How many 4 yr olds think like that? He blows me away! I feel like I should DO something for him, but it doesn't seem like I have any options. The school can't really do anything, we can't afford a private school, we don't even live near a school for the gifted. I guess all I can do is send him to school and then provide enrichment at home (as we've been doing all along.)

Oh, he also told me not to tell his teacher that he thinks Kindergarten is boring because he doesn't want to hurt her feelings. He's probably right about that!

Cathy