Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy First Day of Preschool

Hello,
I just wanted to have someone to tell about my DS3's first day of preschool (Head Start) today. (yes he's started late, and that is a long frustrating story I wont go into.)
Anyway, I guess I just had hopes for the most optimal situation. It was ok i guess, just more worried now about my son. He's very social and loves other kids, but the kids just didn't get anything he was trying to do, and say. He ended up just the loner boy the whole time. Maybe it was just because it was the first day. Also most of the other children don't speak English, so i guess that could be the biggest reason. They're learning shapes and colors until January. (which he knew at 20 and 18 mo.)
One of the teachers met with me and asked if their is anything specific I'd like his teacher to work with him on. I told her i don't know if they do this, but He's reading and I would like it if his teacher could work with him on reading.
THe lady said " NO we don't do that, the children learn letters first, then they learn the letter sounds. So would you like me to write that you'd like her to work with him on letters?"
I didn't say anything because i was trying to register what she had understood and was trying to say. Then she said
"How about letter sounds, I'll write down for her to work with him on letter sounds." I just didn't say anything. Just felt kind of dumb. Now that I'm home thinking about it, I think she thought i didn't understand how children are taught. I think she just totally dismissed the idea of him reading, or missed it or something. Anyhow his teacher will see.
The way his home based Head Start program works is he has a teacher that will come to our house every other Tuesday to teach him for an hour and a half one on one. Then on the weeks she doesn't come he goes to a preschool one day for 3 hours and has class with the other "Home Based" kids.
So his teacher ought to figure it uot when she comes.
I also looked up some Head Start publications that spoke of what should be done in Head Start, for the gifted.
http://www.headstartinfo.org/leaders_guideeng/part6.htm
( If you scroll down there is a section on "Adaptations for children who are advanced in Development")
Anyway if they don't plan on doing anything for him do you think it would be beneficial to refer to this?
they also Had a meeting today with parents and chose/volunteered and nominated president, etc of the parents group. I'm President and also the Delegate parent of our Head Start group and will have to go to county School meetings. I'm not sure what I'll need to do, but I volunteered hoping it will help me somehow start to have a say on gifted education.
Anyhow I'd love to hear your opinions of it all since most of you have been there.
Also none of the parents speak ENGLISH. Only Spanish, So, anyways it was interesting. I had no idea that many people around here couldn't speak English. I had to be translated to. It was an interesting experience.

Hi Jenafur:

I think you SHOULD bring up this material at your meeting, with the point of view that OF COURSE they already know that Headstart is supposed to make special efforts to serve precocious students and OF COURSE they want to work with you to figure out how to do it.

How to accomplish this? I would say that you were reading in the Head Start material about how head start wants to find strategies to help make sure even advanced students are challenged and learning, for example, see here, it says provide books with more text, or plan special projects? and you wondered what ideas the teacher might have about books for preschool kids who are already reading, and special projects that would engage and educate your son, perhaps taking advantage of his interest in dinosaurs, or space, or insects ....

good luck,

bk

I sure liked this paragraph:
As Head Start staff plan curriculum experiences, it is always important to observe individual children and build on their strengths. Some children may have surpassed specific learning outcomes in the Framework by the time they come to Head Start. If a preschooler is already reading at the first grade level, then encourage reading of more complex texts and help build comprehension skills. It is not necessary, and in fact, will be frustrating and boring, for the child to participate in group activities where the focus is on learning the alphabet. Likewise, if a Head Start child can do addition and subtraction problems in her head, she has already mastered the basic numeracy skills that her classmates are learning. To meet the needs of children with such extraordinary abilities, it may be necessary to draw upon the resources of other educational specialists, such as librarians and museum educators, and to reach out into the community at large.


I agree with all the things bk and Dottie said, and I would certianly make a print out of the whole article with highlighted passages, but I would also put that particular paragraph in 16 font and print it out on a single page to make a "cover" for the whole report.

It sounds like using their language, you would say that your first interest is to have the teacher observe your individual child so that she can design a curriculum based on his strengths and interests.

The second paragraph -
The Head Start Child Outcomes Framework identifies the long-term goals for all enrolled children to achieve by the time they are ready to enter kindergarten. However, there are many ways to achieve these outcomes. Different curricula identify a wide variety of experiences through which children can learn as they progress toward meeting the long-term goals identified in the Framework. Some children might progress more quickly than others, but the long-term outcomes are the same for all Head Start children.

-talks about a document called the Head Start Outcomes Framework. I would try to get a copy of this Framework, so that you can start assembling proof of your child's current levels in the various catagories that they use. Do not depend on the teacher to figure this out for herself - some kids are good at figuring out adult expectations and acting accordingly.

Good luck with it all. Let us know how it turns out. I would try to use the document to show why he needs to skip the group time or to be placed with a group that has similar 'readiness.'

Smiles,
Trinity

Hi Jenafur:
I have to respond with a word of caution: the teacher might *not* see what your son can do when she comes to the house. My experience has been that most educators don't know how to even recognize giftedness at that age. Some even deny that it is possible. When we advocated for our son to skip K, I told the teacher and principal that he was already reading. They just nodded and said, essentially, that they would be the judge of that. They told me how sometimes kids memorize the text that goes with the pictures and other things that are very true of typically developing kids. But they also tried to tell me that my child *couldn't* really be reading at that age! When they realized he *could* read, then they pointed out what aspects of reading he *couldn't* do - as though that somehow negated his skills that WERE above age level. Sort of like they were saying, "look, he's not all *that* advanced or else he could blah, blah." It was very frustrating.

I think the framework and guidelines for Head Start that you found are great. I hope that the teachers know how to implement it. In my area, gifted kids in Head Start are pretty rare. Don't know how many are there in your area. For a teacher to actually recognize one (and one that is a level 4 - even less likely to find in the general population!) AND know what to do will be wonderful!

Head in to discussions with the teachers about the need for differentiation with a positive attitude and wanting to have them on your team. It seems that they are already not "getting it" since they won't work on reading with him. And perhaps you can use the Spanish speaking kids as a way for your son to pick up a foreign language while at school!

Is there an area of weakness identified for your son as the reason he qualified for Head Start? I noticed you posted first under Twice Exceptional, and I'm sorry if I missed it, but I didn't find the reason for him attending Head Start. You'll just want them to focus on gifts as much as they do on areas of weakness.

Debbie,
I'm so glad that you posted about the Perception gap between teachers and parents. It really is beyond what one could reasonably expect. I also love your use of the phrase "Typically Developing Kids." Sounds so much better than 'normal' or 'average.' Soon I'll be talking about TDKs and ADKs - typically developing kids and alternatly developing kids - and no one but you will have any idea what I'm talking about.

I do want to say that I work with lots of kids who are in Head Start, and it 'feels' like there is a pretty similar scattering of Level I, II and III kids within that group. I haven't seen any numbers but every week or so I see a "little chatterbox" control freak, who wants to discuss the morr technical aspects of the work with me. I also see lots kids who translate for their parents at really early ages. Of course, for every extroverted kid who chatters at me, I figure that there is at least one introverted kid who is harder for me to notice, studying me with full attention, the only sound I hear is the slow deep breaths.

Well, I find it very reassuring that there are plenty of bright and gifted preschooler at work. We are few, but plenty. Weird, huh?

Love and More Love,
Trinity

Thank you for all the advice! I'm so scared about approaching his teacher about all this. It will be my first experience doing so. I hope i can do it. Will she be offended if i print that stuff out?
I haven't noticed anything about him that would make him twice exceptional, I had posted in there before because I had no idea what that ment, until a few days ago. Well.... he has always been kinda slow with the motor skills. But maybe it's just his brain and his body are not at the same level. I don't know.
I don't understand why teachers don't know about gifted kids!
It is frustrating to me!
I wish I could find a gifted children's parents group in my town. I don't know where I'd look. I do have a friend at church who's daughter is very smart and also reading at 3. IT was funny bacause I was talking about preschool and said something about finding a preschool like, "I'm not really concerned, because I don't think they're really going to teach him anything". Then i felt funny..i don't mean to sound like i was bragging ...or i just figured she didn't understand what i meant. She said,
"yeah i know exactly what you mean". I was like
"YEah?" She said
"actually my daughter knew all her letter sounds before she was 2 , I was like
"My son too!" I don't think she believed me, LOL!
But anyway, we talk about our kids often together now and its so nice to have someone to talk to about him. I'd feel like I were bragging if i told anyone else, or asked questions about him to anyone else.
Anyways Thank-you for all the advice!!!!! I'm waiting for the day i'll be experienced enough to start giving some!

Well DS's teacher came today, to meet with me and it went WONDERFULLY!!!
She was going over the things they'll be learning this year, and I stopped her to let her know where my son was, that he already knew all those things and reading. She totally surprised, but excited! She told me about her friends who are kindergarden and first grade teachers of whom she will get ideas, and other things from to work with him. She said she believes every child should be challenged and be able to work at their own level. She was telling me about some books she has that would be great for him that she can bring to work with his reading. She also said she has another child she is teaching that is doing advanced things also and that she has to totally do a different lesson plan for him, and that she will do that also with my son!
So I didn't even need to show her the paperwork I found, she seemed totally ready to take on his needs! Hurray!!

Jenafur, that is wonderful news! I'm really excited for you!

bk

this is great!

Ah, don't you wish we could clone the teachers like this and fill the schools with them?!