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DS8, Mildly G, started grade 3. Dual immersion - cannot accelerate in math, G&T program is school is 1 hour a week.

He is "hating" school already. Some boredom.

BUT... I think mostly it's he hates learning all the rules. Thinks they're silly. WHY can't he do origami when he's finished his work? His teach allows him to draw in his own notebook specifically for this, but no origami.

I'm taking the approach of, "well, we can use this as a learning experience. We have to follow rules, like them or not. Our teachers need to be respected even if we don't agree..." THE LIFE LESSONS.

After school I've made sure we are having FUN!!!! So, that gives him something to look forward to. Home life is going GREAT... another stabilizing factor for him.

ANY suggestions of how to keep school interesting in the face of a closed off bureaucratic, all-we-care-about are test scores, non communicating system????

Homeschool? [g,d,r]

Become the school principal or school superintendent?

There's nothing quite like having full access to a school library and computer systems on the weekend with no adult supervision.

Could you send an email to the teacher to see why the restriction on origami? Maybe if she has good reasons, your DS would understand.

Maybe you could powwow with the teacher to come up with some activities that your DS could do when he's finished early. Maybe some mind teaser or creative thinking worksheets, or something like that. Maybe the GT teacher can help come up with some in-classroom differentiation activities that your DS can do?

LOL. I can't imagine becoming principal or superintendent! hA HA HA... Look out school reform!

As for meeting w/ teacher. did that. first week of school. She said all the right things, with no follow through.

I imagine, and told my son, that origami is probably distracting to the other students... they just want to watch him make it, where drawing in his notebook is less disruptive.

I can send him with a differentiated packet. I asked DS8, who for now said drawing would be fun. Knowing that we're focusing on increasing enthusiasm here, I went with it and will until he asks me for different work to be done in class.

He is struggling being an adult caught in a child's body and living in a child's world (tounge in cheek).

From a very early age, I've said he'd be happiest being the dictator of his very own small country!

I have a similar issue except, despite 3 years of promising that she could read when she finishes whatever mundane task they are set to, my DD contines to shove the worksheets in her desk or find other creative ways to NOT do them and sneak reading when the teachers back is turned.

This was me. I would encourage you to get testing done and find an environment where she will be challenged.

Hee hee . . . DS6 was doing that last year in Kindergarten. We had to go home one day and do about a months' worth of classroom "busy-work." While he did all the catch-up, I spent the time explaining to him why cutting with scissors and gluing with glue sticks is important for his fine-motor strength, even if the academic part of the work seems mundane.

Perhaps origami is distracting to the other students? I mean, it's a 3-dimensional toy, as opposed to a sketch pad which isn't as noticable as a recreational item. Maybe reading a book would be a good alternative to origami.

From my experience most teachers are very tolerant of books -- they look like work to most people, apparently.

I was amazed in HS when the library used us first year students to catalog their collection that during study time I could simply grab a box of books and work my way through the pulpiest science fiction paperbacks available without anybody commenting that maybe I should be working on my homework instead, as long as I handed back a few catalog cards at the end of the hour...

I can see origami being distracting (too visible). If the teacher objects to doodling I think there is a paper out there showing its positive effect on memory retention for academic lectures.

or maybe something like sudoku. that's more occupying than reading, but still less disruptive?

I know that most of the othe students notice when my dd is taking out a book even though...you know how? Because they all tattle on her! lol!