Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Does it matter if they're just coasting?

DS7 (grade 2) and DS5 (kindergarten) are both coasting through this year without learning much of anything. They haven't yet said that they're bored, but I know that they are definitely not being stimulated. For instance, DS7 casually suggested yesterday that he knows everything he's being taught in school. DS7 has only tested MG and has an individual learning plan, but it doesn't seem to be amounting to much. DS5 hasn't yet been tested but is probably reading at a grade 3 or so level and has no problem with grade 2 math (we know this because both boys enjoy math problems).

So my questions are: How much of an effort should we make, given that they aren't complaining? Is it unfair to them that they're not being challenged? Since they are probably both "only" MG, will this really affect them greatly? Would they be more "successful" if they were more challenged in elementary school?

I haven't posted much on here in a while because things seem to have settled for us (we've eliminated the possibility of a LD for DS7 and he seems to be more and more in control of his OEs). And really, this seems like more of a luxury at this point. But I would still love to have any opinions from folks on here given the wealth of knowledge and experience.

Thanks!

This depends upon the child, the opportunities for challenge outside the classroom, how comfortable they feel socially, how comfortable you feel with advocacy, etc.

Yes, unfortunately kids are shortchanged if not challenged... see the thread on What Kids Don't Learn. If you can provide sufficient challenge outside the classroom, that may offset the lack of challenge at school.

Yes, the idea of challenge is not necessarily to make them prominent, but to increase the likelihood that they will gain the skills which are learned through effort, struggle, and challenge. Having these skills may make it less likely that they will underachieve.

Thank you both for the great advice. I think they get a lot of that (except for the study skills) through their sports and piano lessons, but it's good to keep in mind. We'll also continue to try to challenge them any which way we can. And the gifted program starts in grade 5 in our area, so they can always transfer into it at that point if needed.

Thanks!

For us, DS was identified as gifted in kindergarten. He started complaining he never learned anything in 1st grade. I joined this board last year when he was in 2nd grade because that's when he started to get depressed and act out and refuse to do some of the work. I wish I would have done more earlier, but for us, we waited until there was a huge problem that we couldn't ignore. I think it depends on the child and the school.

Hi RRD. I feel quite the same way about our DS6 (grade 1). I just don't feel that he is being challenged at school, except for the challenge inherent in writing neatly (and in the correct orientation -- some numbers and letters are still reversed). As you may recall from previous threads I have participated in, DS6 has DCD, so the writing problems may well be associated with that. (he is on a wait list for an OT "printing camp", but it is a long wait) He has a great teacher, though, and comes home from school every single day saying it was "awesome". I am loathe to push him to do more work at home, even though I know he is capable, because he is tired at the end of the school day and he has many other activities. We have spoken to him recently about the need to keep challenging himself, though, and I think he gets it, kind of. Like you (in Canada), there is no gifted program until a higher grade (for us it is grade 4). It seems like a long wait. In the mean time, what we have decided to do, rather than trying to get him to challenge himself on more "school work" at the end of a long school day, is to start taking him out of school more for field trips to museums and science centers.

The question I would ask myself are...

1) Are they happy?

2) Are they learning bad habits.

3) Are there other less tangible things they are learning?

Particularly in early elementary school is about more than learning math & how to read. It's about getting along with other kids, working in groups, listening to the teacher, following directions. They may be working on handwriting, art, and music.

I think this really depends on the kid & the environment they are in. I personally feel strongly that preschool should be play based no matter who you are. My son taught himself to read at 3, yet was very happy in his pre-school/daycare because they weren't doing anything academic. This changes IMO when you go to elementary and gets harder the older they get. But depending on the program they are in you can challenge your child outside of school, while they 'coast' at school and gain other experiences being with other kids. It all depends on their personal experience with it.

For my son there was not G&T program till 4th grade. And yes until they the kid was mostly coasting.

Piano lessons are a valid medium for teaching study skills. ❤ persistence, pride/pleasure in mastering a skill. Piano definitely teaches that cutting corners doesn't save time! However, most piano teachers don't teach *how to practice* so to get the most mileage you'll have to do a bit of research or pick the brains of some friendly musicians. I would be happy to discuss this more if you are interested.

Challenge them outside school if you are not planning to change the status quo. You can do it with harder academics, learning a musical instrument to an advanced level or sports (martial arts is one such sport that teaches practicing a skill to perfection). Even better, you can do all of it.
The bigger problem with coasting, in my opinion, is that the child goes through schooling without knowing what it is to work hard for a goal and also never learns good work ethic.