I just need to get this off my chest and am wondering if anyone else is going through something similar or has any advice etc.
My DD5 is in public K and is behaving much better than I expected (she is very intense and energetic). She is actually a model student, but then comes home and tells me that she wants things at her level and is frustrated with sitting there learning letter sounds and having sight words like "I" and "am."
I had already met with the teacher and she was trying to give my DD more, but it just isn't right. Oh, my DDs handwriting is very, very good, she has mature attention, and is socially doing very well. First grade curriculum, while still being too easy, wouldn't be a problem due to any fine motor issues. The school had been shown an evaluation that shows achievment well above the 99th percentile,and a tester who strongly said she was gifted.
After listening to my daughter saying she doesn't want to go to school etc., and seeing her bring home work that consists of her making dots (and drawing is one of her strongest skills), counting to three and circling the letter A, I decided to have a conversation with the principal. He seemed very hostile, and said all the cliches: they all even out, they never, ever accelerate, once she gets to second grade, she may falter (she is doing things well beyond second when she was in pre-k so I doubt it), the class has a bunch of kids similar, etc. We do live in a community known for higher academic performance and I truly want there to be similar kids in her class. If there are, then they need to try even harder to find approprite things for them. He finally consented to having the gifted coordinator who starts in second grade come in and observe my DD and spoke with her and my DD's teacher yesterday. Now I feel guilty and like a troublemaker, but at least the gifted teacher may give the K teacher some ideas.
I just need support here because I feel all alone in this. I don't talk with my friends who are parents in the school about this very often, because I am afraid of alienating anyone. Sometimes I mention things and feel someone else get uncomfortable, so have learned to keep things quiet.
Oh, the principal said he had a child who was reading as he entered into K but leveled off in second so now he assumes that every "high achieving" kid in K is like his son. I almost felt he resented the idea that she may not level off...UGH
