Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Accelerate or not to Accelerate

My question is if your child could go through grade school quickly, should you let them? And provide what is needed to do so? And support them doing so?

Once my DD5 started school this year I relized that at the rate she goes through the material she will out grow her school in a couple of years if she continues her drive for learning, it seems like she going faster instead of slowing down. My DH and I purchased some learning material a couple of years ago that have material for each grade up to 4th (it was a sale at Costco) when looking at what her school uses it the same type of thing so it's right on track with what their teaching at the correct grade level, she found them in my office and is now going though each grade. She stated "as soon as I'm done I'll be in 5th grade"

Even if I did nothing she still would go through the material like a force of nature, cause that just the way she is. Do I just let her continue with what she's doing, get a tutor? She'll ask me a question now and then but she mostly does it herself.

What are your thoughts on this subject?
Thanks

DS was like this and certainly could have finished grade school curriculum very quickly. But he liked being in grade school. He enjoys kids his age more than older kids; he likes the activity; he gets on well with the teachers. He has a lot to learn from the "extras": music, PE, art. His teachers have been good about giving him more challenging work when they are able and he is OK with waiting (and entertaining himself in various ways) when the teacher is working at the other kids' pace.

We do lots of fun afterschooling and I feel comfortable that he is learning. One of the things about his not being challenged at school is that he doesn't have much homework and so there is more time to supplement at home.

I think a lot depends on the kid and how they fit with the school they are in. DS has always been enthusiastic about going to school so that has made our decision clear.

Obviously a less enthusiastic kid would require a different approach!

I agree with acs on this one. It's a delicate balance, sometimes hard to navigate.

Been wondering about this myself lately. I'd love to hear thoughts too, all the way around.

One of the reasons we chose to homeschool instead of fighting the system to try to get them to leapfrog/multiple grade-skip him through public school was so we could try to slow things down for DS7 without boring him. We are able to introduce subjects he'd NEVER get in school, like Arabic and downhill skiing, to broaden his experience and keep him interested without pushing the usual curriculum order.

I think we usually assume that what the schools teach is all that matters, but there's a lot of material out there in all subjects that isn't taught in most schools and is worth learning. Sometimes thinking laterally can provide all that a child needs both in terms of depth and difficulty, but without the rush.

My reasons for wanting to keep DS7 fairly close to his age level (more or less...):

1) He likes sports, but he's not a superstar, so I'd like him to be able to participate at his age-level. It's the best fit.
2) He does reasonably well socially with kids fairly close in age to him--within 0-3 years--and I'm with Dottie that more separation than that seems a bit scary to me.
3) He's deep but not fast, and while he needs a significantly greater complexity of material (3-6 grades beyond age level, depending upon the subject), he also needs greater time to process it. Grade acceleration doesn't seem like a great fit for those specific needs.
4) The thought of college at 12 of 14 brings on massive waves of anxiety. I don't want to do that if I can help it! Slowing him down by "going broad" helps to allay my anxiety. (It's all about me, there!)

I'd have to say, though, that if my only options were to bore my child and go slowly or to rush through elementary school, I'd rush. I don't think the options are truly *that* limited, as acs and G3 have rightly noted. There are ways to afterschool and use extracurriculars to provide some challenge, which is enough for some (not all!) kids. But if we're really locking it down to just those two choices, or if you have a child (like mine) for whom afterschooling and extracurriculars could not possibly make up for 7 hours of solid in-school boredom, then I'd say rush.

FWIW...

I hope it's true that you daughter 'can't be stopped' but I fear that if she was in an uncomfortable school situation for a year or two, that she could be stopped.

I think that the best thing to do is to watch if each child seems happy and willing to try hard things. To see if the kids in the current grade seem like a better social match than the kids in the next grade up. To try, try, try for subject accelerations on top of the full skip foundation whenever possible. It doesn't have to be a perfect match, just 'good enough.'

Another big difference is the home situation. I think that kids who have siblings or housemates who are also gifted as playmates need a lot less from school and parents. When the siblings provide competition, audience and inspiration for each other, the parents need to provide a lot less. Not so say that some sibling situations aren't really difficult, but I think that when a sibling situation is good, it can be VERY good. Part of what helped me feel normal as a kid was coming home from school and playing board games with my little brothers. Even though they were younger, beating them was a total thrill.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

LOL! And more power to you on that!

I'd go with the personality thing more than the sibs regarding learning. DS13 is an only. He makes friends with everyone but does particularly well with kids his age and their younger siblings. He is always with friends and I hardly see him after school. He just takes care of himself--no siblings needed. And he gets plenty of adult time over meals and at bedtime to fill that need for mature conversation and he doesn't have to compete with siblings for it.

I think for all of our kids, we want them to have a good childhood. For me this means having friends, learning stuff, and playing. Just because a kid can learn at a quick pace doesn't mean that they necessarily should, especially if the learning time interferes with friendships and play. On the other hand, being held back from learning what they want to learn (or are driven to learn) is a serious problem. So is being placed with kids that they can't be friends with. So we each do a balancing act. Are they in a situation where they have real friends (or at least one close friend) regardless of the age difference? Are they able to play in a way that truly makes them happy, even if it doesn't look like play to other parents? Do they have down time and time to explore their interests? Are they learning? Are they learning how to deal with real challenge? The solution to this balancing act will look different for each of us.

So right, acs! Well put! My head was nodding at the screen all through that last paragraph.

I do have a question about GT schools tying back into this topic. I realize that not all schools are a like but I am curious, especially with the above comment, how do schools of this caliber deal with acceleration? Let's say that the situation that started this topic is the same: A 6 yr old gets a hold of the curriculum packets sold on the market and is happily going through all the coursework. Is the curriculum in GT schools broader or more intense? Basically what is the difference and why would by putting your child in a GT school not cause this problem? I would think at some point the students would be in college level work and expecting to get credit and if my calculations are right that would probably be around 7th grade.

I meant to get back to this thread sooner , DD4 is not feeling well.

All of you have such great input and knowledge thank you for your comments on this question.

Now that I'm somewhat through the GT denial, I see the bigger picture of what my daughters can do. I relized that the decessions made in the near future may not be the norm for most parents. I'm not complaining, just trying to process it all.

I also agree with ACS on that last paragraph as well


I think Katelyn'sM om has a point I'm going to look it up I see what type of material I can find.

Thanks again everyone!