I haven't had time to read through all the responses here, but I'm going to throw in my 2 cents while I have a few moments. Hopefully, I won't be redundant to anything already said. Knowing me, this will be long. My apologies! It's my hot button topic.

I've been saying since K, "DS is not learning how to learn." He's allowed to do his work (frequently haphazardly) and then go to read whatever book he's brought to school. Frankly, he's happy to do just that. If allowed, he'd read for hours a day.

I know tons of people who've told me that their now-grown DSs were just like mine in K,1,2..., then their DSs crashed in 3rd or 4th grade and they could never get them back on track. The kids pulled Cs/Ds in high school (never cracking a book) and never went to college, and are now in jobs that are more manual-labor than mental work. Now, I have nothing against those types of jobs. What I don't want are the possibilities that will be open to my DS as an adult to be sealed when he's in 4th grade, because he thought he'd fooled people, and that it turned out he wasn't really smart (like I felt).

Anyway, I recently spoke with one of the Resource Teachers at DS's school and seemed to make some headway. First, I explained what I wrote above that I've heard from all the parents I know of gifties who exhibit their GTness at a young age. Then I told her that DS thinks that: 1) school will always be easy, and 2) he's always going to be the smartest kid in any room. I told her I know that a lot of smart kids don't show their gifts early -- that in 3rd or 4th grade there will be people at a similar level to DS (she really responded to that). I also told her that DS has started saying, "I can't do that" when presented with things that he's not certain he knows -- although when pressed, he can not only do that thing but additional similar ones that are more difficult (so ability is there, but not confidence).

I said, "DS is an academic early peaker," and she said that was a very good way to put it, and that she could see kids like that as a group that could likely benefit from the Resources Teachers' help. She said she understood that he is not being challenged and our worry that he'll lack the confidence and tools to achieve when school does become more difficult. I never used the word "gifted" to describe DS, because our school does not have a gifted program and won't consider offering one at this time.

Now, we have yet to see whether they'll be able to provide anything to really address our issues, but it was the first time someone listened. It was the first time I didn't get the , "We have no gifted program and don't have the funds" or the "All children are gifted." response.

So, enough for my looooonnnnnggg post.

I'm not certain if any of this is helpful. I wish you all luck since it seems there are so many of us in this same overcrowded boat.

Take care!