Hi Summer70,
You give the advice not to "throw extra work at your child." What is this opinion based on?
I've seen Afterschooling work very well for many families. In my son's own class there is a boy who my son reports is very gifted, and "could have a grade skip if he wanted one," but is very satisfied to stay where he is and do each assignment above and beyond what the teachers assign, to the degree that his parents assign. There are ways in which I feel sad that I didn't think to do this early enough to make this routine for my son. Not that my DH would have gone along with that plan! But I have done some periods of Afterschooling with my son, - UnAfterschooling? - where I follow his lead and provide just a bit of incentive, as a way of getting to know him as a learner. I can't imagine how I could have advocated for him without this experience.
I think that each family and each child is different, and while I like the idea getting each child into the classroom that will meet their needs, I can see that it just doesn't always work out for every situation,
Love and More Love,
Trinity
