Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Am I one of "those" parents?

My DS4 also has an October birthday. Very frustrating. I managed to convince the preschool of interest to give him a shot at doing PreK-4 instead of the 3's program (which he SHOULD have been doing) for the start of the school year last August. They had him tested for the PreK-4 and he of course passed with flying colors. That was the best thing I could have done because looking forward to THIS august, I went into the prospective schools telling them he has already DONE the PreK-4 program and here is his mid term test (scored 100/100). They let him do the Kindergarten test which he passed Now we are actually picking between schools that will let him into Kindergarten early.

Can you do this with the admissions there at the school? Ask them to have him take the Kindergarten readiness test and see for themselves?

Annie

He actually is in Pre-K 4 for that exact same reason!!! I don't get why the current school doesn't just look at how he's doing now which is great

Same situation then for you! Are they really going to make him do Pre-K 4 ALL OVER AGAIN??? That is crazy, esp. since he is so advanced. The children he is with now will move up so if he socially fits with them now why wouldn't he next year?

I would have him take the Kindergarten test and show them that they NEED to advance him. Period.

Well they did say they would let him "try it out"...I just think they are going to be waiting on him to have an off day and kick him back to PreK 4. I have found another school that will give him an informal evaluation and then let him go ahead and go to Kindergarten. So I will probably move him there since they seem to have a better attitude about it. The current school says they have moved kids up before who were academically ok, and it wasn't a good fit. Of course, if I say I believe he is a whole different kind of kid, they won't listen. They say, we are looking at the whole child. As if I'm not? Anyway, I think I'm going to move him to the other school. I just wish I had known before, and I would have put him there for PreK so we wouldn't be moving yet again.

At least they are giving it a shot! Things are so crazy rigid at my son's school.

We got trapped in the age deadline thing when our ds was pre-K also. Is there any chance you can find a preschool that doesn't have rigidly defined academic curriculums? Our kids all went to Montessori preschool and were able to choose their own work with individual overall guidance from their teachers to help them progress. It was very different from a traditional academic environment, but I felt like it gave my kids the opportunity to nurture their creativity and imaginations while giving them a sense of self-confidence in not having to sit in a group and be told what to do, which in turn kept them eager and excited about "school".

polarbear

We moved Mr W(4y0M) four times in two years.

The first two were bad for him the third was acceptable, and this one is a good fit. Each time we kept looking and looking. Each time its been a better fit for him than the one before. Now he is 1+ accelerated in a class working one grade ahead with mostly GT kids.

No place is perfect, but for us, if he talks about what he did that day, talks about stuff we did not teach him, does not want to leave when we arrive to pick him up, some of his classmates are as alert as he is, the teacher is bright and has high expectations, and the class is working at least one grade ahead, then its about as good as can be.


Montessori was a good fit for Mr W from 18 mos to 3y because the material was 2+ for him. But after than it was not a good fit for Mr W as he was working so far ahead. The teachers considered him at best a distraction when before he amazed them.

Wow, Austin, I can't believe mr. W is 4! My DS just turned 8. Crazy.

I like your description of how to gauge whether the school fit is ok. We use pretty much the same criteria. I am still pleasantly surprised when DS8 talks about stuff we didn't teach him. And my heart is touched when he talks fondly of his many friends. We haven't quite hit the point of DS not wanting to leave school, but he has wanted to do stuff with classmates after school, and he has great after school class options that he wants to do.

OK back to this. The resistance to bumping him up is so great I begin to doubt myself. I got my 4 year old a second grade homeschooling math book which he is acing and enjoying. Then I go to pick him up at school his teacher knows I'm thinking of skipping him to kindergarten next year because I've asked her how he's doing. She made a point to tell me she sees he is younger than the other kids because he doesn't want to move from one activity to the next or doesn't pay attention and has to be redirected when
following in line or in some class time, but academically he is doing great and he's not disruptive. I told her I thought that it was partly his personality that he wants to complete what he is thinking even if you are ready to move on. While I do think its something to work on, I don't think its a reason to hold him back academically...which he will be even a grade ahead. He reads wells and is doing the second grade math book....I mean how many normal kindergarteners will need to work on those thing with him? What do you think? She told me personality doesn't keep you from walking in line...I totally remember being this way myself in elementary school. What do you think?
I am certain he won't being going to this school for kindergarten regardless...

He does come home with things I didn't teach him occasionally though...I do like that. Its never reading or math but science thing like today he told me about the middle ear...