I agree with the handwriting- I think teachers lose sight of your child's giftedness if they have poor handwriting. I have my first grader working through Handwriting Without Tears- his handwriting has gone from literally the worst in the class to average. I don't expect it to zoom up to best, but at least this is something.
Practice, practice, practice!
The Asian kids who go to Chinese school weekly all have phenomenal handwriting- maybe practicing characters in a different language really helps. And the little girls have better handwriting than most adults!
