Um, this sounds a liitle lame after all these horror stories... But KG stopped reading. That's how we really knew something was wrong.
Kid *loves* to read. He self-taught somewhere around 3yo, and would read all the time. He loved reading Captain Underpants when he was 4. I have a great pic of him the summer before K started, sitting in the car waiting to go somewhere, totally engrossed in "Henry Huggins."
We had briefly discussed seeking a skip to first grade the winter before he started k, but his dad was adament that KG needed K. So we sent him. Private school really didn't cross our minds.
I approached the gifted coordinator at parent night, introduced myself and said I was interested in learning about the gifted program. I was told it didn't start until second grade, and given a folder full of elementary gifted info (ie, characteristics of gifted kids, enrichment ideas, even a link to that Saturday enrichment program!). When I asked what they did for kids in K, she told me they do "in-class grouping." She was very dismissive, and a little rude.
So I let it go at that point, and decided to watch and wait. KG wasn't having big problems, and I thought (hoped) maybe they *could* differentiate.
But after a month or 2 in K... He stopped reading chapter books. And started reading Spot lift-the-flap books. That was my biggest clue-in! Not dramatic, but a big enough departure for me to look more into it. It was at that point we had him fully tested (he'd done a cursory eval to get into a well-known Saturday program for gifted kids near us).
Basically, nothing was done for him. He'd have been in the "gifted first grade math" this year--but he tested above it last February. Whoopty!
It was the school's attitude as much as KGs obvious regression that pushed us to start looking private. And it was less his K teacher than his principal --most of you have heard our story. It didn't look likely to change, and I wasn't willingly to fight a likely-losing battle while KG floundered.
KG starts at gifted private in two weeks, and I'm really excited.
Bottom line? Look for a change in your kid. If you think something's not right, you're probably right. And get started early!
Last edited by Mia; 08/21/08 02:34 PM. Reason: was on my phone, didn't want it to crash before I posted!
