Thanks for the replies - ultramarina - yes, I absolutely agree that being able to write a story is one thing, being able to adapt that skill to other things is another matter. I can completely see where you're coming from. However, what I had meant with the example is that it was immediately apparent in that moment of the "two sentences" that dd knew exactly what she was doing and that surprised me at 5. I had been suspicious this was happening for a couple of weeks, but hadn�t been sure (because I'd been in the 'her writing isn't at grade level' zone).
I'm not really fussed about it on a certain level - I'm not fussed if she's a doctor or a gardener or a mechanic or a circus performer if she's doing what she wants to do. If she were focusing her abilities on a particular area I would be less concerned - she doesn't love writing for now, but she can do it well enough for what she needs it for. But it�s not just her writing - she appears to be doing it across the board.
LNE � She is the only one doing the homework. I just changed it off my own bat and let the teacher know (I knew she would be ok with it as she had just wanted dd writing). We�ve got a whole list of topics dd can choose from (including persuasive writing etc), but dd enjoys telling stories most � she wants to be a comedian when she grows up (at the moment) and stories give her a chance to be funny in a way she isn�t in class (because she rarely speaks). So I think she�s enjoyed that aspect of it too. I suspect once the mechanics of writing are less difficult she will enjoy creative writing quite a lot. I do like the idea of taking something every day and thinking about how it could be made interesting though � that could be a good tool for when she�s stuck for an idea in class.
Butter looks at her with disdain and said "Everyone KNOWS snow is COLD." hahahahaha!
2gifts2girls, what a great response from your dd � that is much how dd feels.
DD also worries about what she produces. This was never an issue before she started school, but the school has a cohort of very high achieving kids, many of whom are extensively tutored. Dd did the SBV, so I don�t know whether she has comparatively slow processing speed or not, but I suspect she does and that causes her to lose confidence when everyone else can answer quickly by rote.
Home schooling (even if it is using a home study program) isn�t an option for us for a number of reasons.
Ultimately I guess I�m worried about it because she is doing exactly what I did as a kid. The results in my case were not great (they weren�t disastrous either, but I wasted a lot of time being extraordinarily bored and not terribly productive). I know that feeling of �just getting it done� so well � and it�s so easy to do well enough with very little thought. But ultimately SO unsatisfying. Anyway. I�m probably just doing a little too much projecting!
