Thanks binip, you've given me a lot to think about.
First, I wouldn't say homeschool is out of the question for both kids. This was our first year, and DS is still reeling from 2 years of bad public school experience. Could I have homeschooled both of them last fall? No. But I have no doubt that if DD needed to be home, we could make it work.
Well, that's good. It sounds like your kids are eager to learn and that is great. I wanted to homeschool but I think it would be sub-optimal given my kids' personalities. Funny how these things work out!
I know that this is true for many kids, but it shouldn't be. In fact, this was a huge problem for DS last year. He had been coasting by for his entire (short) school career. Then all of a sudden he was accelerated 2 years in math, placed in a class where he *didn't* know all of the material, and freaked out. Oops. At some point kids are going to get to a class where it's about learning and not just demonstrating. This may happen in elementary school, or maybe not until college. But it's a disservice to those kids to allow them to think school is not about learning at all.
I wasn't accelerated, really accelerated, until I got to middle-school math and I failed. Sixth-grade algebra was the first thing I had to learn with my teacher in my entire life. I was 12, going through puberty, a goth, my mom was working and going to school at the same time, and it was extremely stressful. I understand. My mom home-educated us in literature and history but not math as she wasn't good at it.
Still, what I teach my kids is that you have to take charge of keeping yourself challenged. After all, suppose you're one grade level ahead, but not gifted. It doesn't take that much intelligence to stay one grade level ahead. You're not going to hit a wall until high school when, because you think you're smart, you take AP classes. Those classes are full of kids who have been accelerated by 1 - 3 years their entire career. That would suck!
So I try to make sure that my kids are challenged no matter what... they fail at home so they can cope with it at school, too.
I don't think it is bullying, but it could be catty behavior.
Catty behavior to me is bullying. Girls are taught, and possibly have instincts for, not physically intimidating others. But they learn how to control, that is for sure. "Cattiness" can be very serious.
