My oldest is 8. He started K reading because, when he was 3, he demanded that I teach him to read. He and another boy were the only ones in their class to take AR tests in K. Then I met his mother. She seems to be trying to raise a super human, at least academically (she is a teacher). She is very friendly with me but very compeditive. When my ds passed 100 AR points in 1st grade, she told him her ds would get it the next day. Fortunately, my ds is completely oblivious to such comments, and I don't think there's any competition between the boys.
At our school, they test for the gifted program in 1st grade. All gifted kids can get enrichment in school, and they can apply for a magnet school. My ds applied and got in. Hers did not test gifted. She thinks her ds is not challenged enough in regular school. (Actually, I think my ds is not being challenged enough in the magnet school, but it's better than it would be at his home school.) I thought it would be all over once they went to 2nd grade and different schools. She shared with me that she'd had her ds tested again and was concerned that he would think he was a failure for not scoring high enough. In my opinion, if he thinks he failed, she's told him too much about why he's taking the tests. I never even used the word "gifted" with my ds until he read it on the sign at his school.
Anyway, we both have younger ds's. Hers should have gone to K last year, but she decided he should get "the gift of time" even though he could read picture books before his final year of preK. Mine is going to school on time, so they're both going to be in the same grade (They start K this year). This was bad enough, but hers was going to go to private school and mine public, so I thought I wouldn't have to worry about anything this year. She'd kicked around the idea of public school and told me that she would ask for a different teacher than her ods had. This summer, I found out her yds is going to public K afterall, and I just found out he's going to be in my yds's class. I'm right back where I was a few years ago (but I didn't know it then: ignorance is bliss).
Now maybe she won't be as uptight about the two younger children. Mine isn't reading like his brother, so maybe he won't stand out. I think my yds is smart, but I don't know if he's gifted. He has a very different personality than my ds, so even if it turns out he gets in, I don't know if we'd send him to the magnet school. In any case, I'm dreading at least 2 years of competition.
AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't avoid her. She's now a neighbor.
