Thanks so much for your story Freya. Sometimes seeing the contrast makes all the difference and makes you see what is actually possible!
We had small win after a long and heart felt e-mail where I responded to the teacher's assertion that she wasn't going to change dd's reading group because she didn't 'want her to stand out'. I mentioned that dd was never NOT going to stand out, that she needed to know that that was ok and that not giving her the right work was sending a message about what she 'should' be doing rather than what she was capable of doing. I went on about gifted girls hiding themselves to fit in, referenced Miraca Gross, went the 'right to learn and to a developmentally appropriate education' line, said we were expecting an appointment to sit down with her early in the new term so she could tell us her plans for dd.
The win? She gave dd a reader from the next level up - grade equivalent 1.2 AGGHHHH
