Hi Susan,

Accelerated Reading/Math are computer programs. You can look them up on Google for more info. I don't know if they are something an individual can purchase and use at home, but I suspect they're designed just for school use. I've heard they're very expensive.

DS, DD, etc. generally means "dear son, dear daughter" -- but could mean "darn son" etc. depending on the day. ;-)

It's nice to hear that your son was so excited by the beestar.org site. It's fun to see what they get excited about. Sad, though, to hear that he hates school. It is really heartbreaking as a parent to hear that, isn't it? And to watch them having to do such repetitive work. Does he like his teacher? Or anything about school?

My DD (now 6) is still doing well, I think. She's had a bit of a slump since the holiday break--not as excited about going to school and had some difficult days, including "emotional meltdowns" over several art-type projects which made her frustrated, some work she just refused to finish, and other work where she didn't want to follow directions (she said her way was just fine). So the teacher finally got to see the stubborn, obstinate side of DD--which I know can be very annoying! But DD was also saying she was tired, hungry, didn't get enough sleep, etc. during these times. When the teacher talked to me about it, I realized DD just wasn't feeling good. She'd had some sick days before then and I think I sent her back to school too soon.

I continue to be thrilled with DD's teacher. I told her about a local conference for teachers by Dr. Ellen Fiedler on "Empowering Gifted Students" and she actually went to it! That made me so happy.

Also, she has a student teacher this semester, so DD is now working daily with the student teacher to go through the 2nd grade math curriculum, while the rest of the class does 1st grade math. This has worked out great for DD's teacher to have the extra help--and of course we love it, because it's like DD has a private tutor for math.

Overall it's not a perfect situation--I would like to see her doing more with reading, writing, and have a compacted curriculum in some subjects--but I think it's as good as we can get right now from our public school district. I think the little bit of advanced work DD does gives her just enough challenge to keep her happy with school. I only hope we can find a teacher for next year who is as good as this one. I truly dread the thought of having to start all over again with a new teacher who may or may not be as accommodating. But I'm grateful for what has been accomplished this year.

Keep us posted on your son!

GG