DD is in 7th grade taking algebra in a gt middle school program. DD took about a month to find her rhythm in middle school. She thought that the pace of Algebra was good but a little slow. I spoke with her teacher at parent/teacher conferences. The teacher said that she would lose too many students if she went any faster. She said that if DD came and told her when DD had already covered material or needed a challenge, she would try to find different material. Great, huh?
Fast forward a few weeks, DD is bringing home perfect scores on everything in Algebra. Quite frankly, perfect scores make me uncomfortable for several reasons -- lack of challenge, perfectionism, building resilience, etc. When I asked DD if she had spoken to the teacher about getting more challenging work, she replied that she had not. She said that the material that they are covering is new to her, so she doesn't feel like she can skip it. She just gets it on the first pass and doesn't need to spend as much time on it.
I asked DD if she wants to do math online instead of in class. She said "No, I like the lectures and the classroom interaction." She also enjoys the social aspect of working on/helping her friends with math homework. She said that there are things that challenge her in class, that she is learning stuff and that it is a lot better than elementary school. BTW, DD is not interested in working on her own on Aleks (or an equivalent) outside of class. She did this last year and found that it made class work redundant.
DD and her teacher seem ok with the status quo. Should I let this go until DD is discontent? My mom gut is telling me that this isn't healthy in the long run. Thoughts?
