Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Vent: school-school articulation

Just had another of those "we don't believe in acceleration" conversations with a member of staff at a school DS8 may possibly go to when he's 13. (This one says with some justification "we believe we have the best maths department in the country". It has some disadvantages, but our not having thought about it was looking remiss.) I had asked for some practical information about the school and mentioned (really, to see what reaction we got if any) that we'd also need at some point to talk about what they do with children who arrive having completed the usual school maths syllabuses. Apparently there's an email in the system from the head of maths which I haven't seen yet. Maybe the email will be reasonable... but the version I was given in the phone call was not encouraging.

I mean, I know, I know, and come to that you all know I know, how important it is for children to work on hard problems and do enrichment and all that. But DS has 5.5 years to go at his current school, and the amount of maths in the school syllabuses that he doesn't know yet is usually taught in less than 2. How do they think I can prevent him learning 2 years' worth of maths in 5.5 years? When he was 2, I gave up the idea that I could prevent him from learning to read before he started school, because he was reading anyway. This feels just like that. It doesn't seem possible to do in a way that wouldn't involve depriving him.

So far this school year he has, in fact, learned almost no new material - at school they've been having him work on scholarship papers (including the ones from the school I was talking to), which are quite nice as they're based on elementary material (normally taught to children 13 and under), but have stretching questions. That's fine, very sensible, but he can't do it for 5 years, and he was already hankering after a good chunk of new stuff. So, given that he's on holiday this week, I offered him the ALEKS high school geometry course alongside all the lego, trains, playing outside, reading, piano practice etc. Having started it on Saturday, he'll pretty clearly finish it this weekend. So should I not have offered it? Maybe, but he's enjoyed it, and it's been useful to have it in the holiday mix - and supposing I hadn't, I can't really feel that saving that few hours' work for later would really have made all that much difference... but all there is to come in the school syllabuses would fit into perhaps 8 such weeks for him.

And breathe...

I wish I had something meaningful to say. I can't even say I feel your pain. But you have my sympathy.

I'm so sorry ColinsMum. I do hope that the email from the head of maths offers at least a bit of encouragement. If nothing else, it may open a line of communication with someone who will understand when you explain to him how your son devours math. It is hard for some people to understand that your child would prefer to do math in his free time, because he enjoys it that much. But I'm hoping Mr. Head of Maths will get it once you explain.

Having an effectively twice-accelerated 8yo myself, I can relate to the belief that it's not fair to not let these kiddos learn in their own natural progression. (But unfortunately I can't relate to the drive your kiddo has - mine is fairly evenly advanced right now, and 4th grade math seems appropriately challenging for my guy.)

Vent away at any time! I just wish I had some advice.

Have they met or seen your DS? If they meet him and observe him in action it may make the case for you. My DS eventually proved to the elementary school what he needed, by being relentless in that way. It took quite a while, though, for them to come to understand him.

This school is 4-5 years off, right? Do you need to plan now, or can you keep doing what you're doing and see where he is then? I assume there will be some sort of testing you can do at that point (SAT?) to demonstrate what he knows. I mean, it's all great if they have the best math program in the country, but if they can't teach him anything by then, you'll be looking for other options in any case.

You can't very well put him in a math deprivation chamber till then. He sounds like quite a guy.

DeeDee

Thanks everyone, I knew I'd find people here who'd understand :-)

Yes, it will be a lot easier once they've met him; this is just the preliminary enquiry stage. We do need to take some steps because this year he needs to be registered with the schools we're considering (in most cases). This involves us paying a fee (a small one, relative to eventual tuition fees, but enough to deter us from simply registering him for every school we're even vaguely considering - which of course is the idea, on their side). Then in two or three years they evaluate the children registered with them, and make provisional offers of places. Children with provisional offers still have to pass an exam at 13, but the intention is that if you have a provisional offer you are strongly expected to pass.

I could have omitted any mention of what DS is like at this stage, but it's interesting to drop something in, so as to see how they do react. For one thing, we feel increasingly positive about the one school that did not react with a "we don't believe in acceleration" speech, but rather with "hmm... we haven't anyone quite like your DS sounds, but...".

No sign of the email from the HoM yet; maybe this is positive as indicating that someone realises it needs to be carefully worded.

DeeDee, I love the image of the "math deprivation chamber"!

Thanks kcab. I'm generally one to cross bridges before I get to them, but it is a bit crazy-making. Not only is there the doubt about what DS will be like 5 years from now, but also, changes in the schools could matter; so much depends on the individuals in the roles of head teacher, head of maths etc. I think I just have to think of it as deciding which roads I don't want to bar, rather than as deciding definitely on a school, and I probably have to be prepared to lose the odd registration fee.

That's how I'd want to play it, if you have the money to spare. A "school match insurance policy."

DeeDee