DS6 has started first grade, and his experience is atrocious. I'm gonna tell the story, and hope for some advice...read on.
DS6 is clearly gifted - reading, math, science, (everything but sitting still and being a sheep). He will be tested in March.
Anyways, DS6 was going to school everyday and telling us things were fine for the first two months of school (his teacher mentioned a few times that he wasn't always on task). At the PT conf in Nov., his teachers told us he was immature and never did his work and complained when they tried to get him to work. Much more disturbing, teachers (when describing how little work DS was doing) revealed that they hadn't checked to see his work since assigned 6 weeks prior! Teacher won't let DS work on harder material because he isn't "doing first grade work."
Turns out, DS (and his classmates, somehow) meets with teachers once a week or so for a lesson or something (can't seem to get them to explain), and sometimes the kids are given assignments of things they are now supposed to self-direct. He is in first grade, and expected to do several items with no supervision or accountability.
So (beginning in Nov), I tried to find out what all he was expected to do and sent emails and notes safety pinned to DS to the teacher explaining that I would reinforce accountability at home if teacher would somehow communicate DS doing or not doing work..to me. No response. Still in Nov., I created a checklist with few work items that DS would tell me, and DS carried it to school with notes and emails again (notes request teacher to check off work completed). Teacher used twice and considered work "completed" if DS "worked on it." - or I guess told teacher he worked on it or he appeared to be working on it - whatever. No response to try to improve the system. Still refusal to increase challenge for DS - suggests I put him in a gifted class - as if I could do that!
In complete frustration (Dec.), I contacted teacher and asked again about accountability - is DS doing his work....he claims to do his work. Teacher said that teacher hadn't looked at DS planner or notebook (another 6 weeks!) and didn't know if he did anything or not. In Jan., I met with teacher and asked again. She claimed to not know if he had done his work - I suggested we look. So, we look at his work and find he has few entries in his notebook. She says, "I guess we need to work on accountability" OMG!!
In response, I contacted a learning specialist at the school to develop a plan to get DS to do his work.
I am thinking that this teacher doesn't care about DS, or his classmates- probably, and I don't know what to do.
If I were DS, I wouldn't do the work either because it is not challenging, repetitive, and NOONE CARES IF HE DOES IT. (Except me, cuz I would prefer for school to not be a negative impact on his education.)
Sorry for the long post. Any advice?
Should I pull him out of school?
