Hi BSM - I think you have it exactly right that their learning styles may not be easily accommodated in traditional schools. My son is similar in that he loves to learn - he's a sponge with material that interests him. But rote learning and timed testing bore and frustrate him.
We've tried Khan academy and just teaching him on my own which has helped, but I've gotten to the point where I feel if I introduce him to new material then the gap between what he's learning in school and what he already knows and wants to learn continue to widen. Right now in first grade they're working on single digit subtraction. My son already knows multiplication and wants to work on division. Another issue is that DS is in a Spanish immersion program (and has been for the past 3 years so comprehension isn't the issue) and math is taught in Spanish. So the teacher, while saying she is differentiating him with extra material is really just giving him busy work that's not new. The school doesn't pull out for gifted programs until third grade. So we're faced with the same situation for next year unless I can have the teachers understand that their not meeting his learning needs is contributing significantly to his behavioral issues. I suspect he has ADD as well which we're in the process of evaluating.
We're taking things day by day, but I know that we can overcome these issues eventually. After all DS gets his stubbornness from me
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