Hi EB's Mom,
Wow - my son missed a lot of gym, but I can't imagine them letting him miss P.E.
DS12 definitly was percieved as 'aiming too high' by certian teachers in elementary. In fact, looking back, I remember him as a 3 year old, insisting on sitting on my lab and making me draw a picture because his little hands couldn't create the image in his mind. I had no idea what was going on, and wouldn't have believed it if someone had told me - oh yes - DS did tell me, but I brushed it off. I figured that he wanted my 'attention' so I indulged him a bit, and then tried to encourage him to do it himself for a while - Oh the Screams that brought.
Anyway - some will call this perfectionism, but I imagine it more as an 'awareness' of what is possible way beyond what is expected for one's years. I think one of the key miseries of growing up gifted without accomidations is missing a big group of similar peers who one can usefully compare oneself to. Sometimes I call it 'Champagne Taste; Beer Budget' because he can 'imagine' so much more than he can has the means to produce. I call it 'Referencelessness' when I think of us grownups, worrying over stuff that people think we are crazy to even notice.
So - if this is what's up - come up with about 3 examples to share with the teacher from his earlier life and try to help her see that it's natural for him to think deeply about things. A friend of mine when through 'Teacher Training' and they convinsed her that 'Children are Concrete, not Abstract Thinkers.' You may need to bring in a copy of Blooms taxonomy and ask her to come up with more tasks from the 'Abstract' side of the chart.
Perhaps you can negotiate some 'extra credit' or a substitute assignment for this coloring thing.
Meanwhile, Does your school have a Gifted Coordinator? If you can get access to the tests that got him into the program, bring the info here - it would be good for you to have an idea of LOG (Level of Giftedness)
If school isn't doing much, we can brainstorm lots of ideas for you to try at home, or try to negotiate for school.
Eventually this assignment will end - his grades don't 'count' - usually - in this grade, so I would encourage you to not let all your worries about the whole school situation funnel into this weird little moment. I'm not worried that one episode will harm him - I am concerned with his overall experience in the world of learning.
It's ok to shrug and say to DS or to the teacher - 'I really have no idea why this is so weird, sometimes life just is weird.'
Good Luck,
Grinity
