I cannot believe how stubborn some administrators can be. I understand that they mean well, but they are stuck in a box. We are trying to have DS8 attend 6th grade middle school for Math. He has completed 4th and 5th using EPGY, but has asked to be in a classroom with students as opposed to a computer screen. ES principal seemed to be on board, and so is the HS about future placement. However when meeting with the MS principal (6th to 8th grade) he is against it. And he informed us both the ES principal and the HS VP is also against it. Funny they never voiced that to us. MS principal means well, but is not up to date. In his words the MS is not a good place for 8 year olds, social damage will be done by having DS8 attend a 6th grade class. Their was no issue about ability (Unless he kept that to himself), it was all about social. The kids are just much bigger, and a number of them will not be nice to DS8, and he will be picked on, and walking to a class can be (not dangerous) but he will attract negative attention. He even went as far as to take us to a 6th, 7th and 8th grade math class to show us how big the kids in a MS are. One funny side note, in the 8th grade Algebra class where two of my Boy Scouts who both know and play with DS8 at campouts, when DS8 comes along, they both said Hi when I came in. The principal asked us what our purpose was, and what we hoped to accomplish, he wanted to make sure that we understood how detrimental this choice would be. Both DW and I explained how we have not pushed math, and how last year we did very little during the school year and almost no math over the summer. He did suggested self guided learning, but DW explained we did not want our son just to be given work sheets and have him left alone at a desk. We tried this last year in ES, and DS only worked on Math about 20% of the time he normally would work on Math. The final outcome is maybe a trial for 1 week, if all teachers agree, and the head of Elementary instruction for the district agrees. Does not look good, that was the person who stopped the grade skip back in K. We left the school after K and then returned last year for 2nd, but because of a new ES principal we where able to get a grade skip to 3rd. I just don�t understand the rigid belief of all must be at the same age. Unbelievable. Will have to see if she says its ok, if not next step school supervisor, and if needed, up to board of education. On a good note DS was elected to school treasurer this year. He gave an interactive speech with a riddle and some humor. Lat year he ran for post master and did not get it, but tried again this year.
