We could still enroll her in our neighborhood school, but they only have 1/2 day kindergarten so we'd be scrambling trying to find quality afternoon child care (the good places fill early).
There is also the possibility of staying in my current position (teaching science) and getting her into the dual language magnet school nearby.
So many choices!!
Hi Jen,
I have an idea you haven't mentioned, but I'm sure you must have thought about: Enroll her in First Grade at the neighborhood school! That way you solve the half day problem and the HG problem in a single stroke. Cool, huh?
I have minimal experience about trying to teach other kids while my son is in the room, but I doubt very much that it would bring out the best in him. It isn't unusual for Gifties to be very intense, and the little ones are much worse at 'faking it.' During Kindy, I would come into his daycare that provided before and aftercare for him, mostly so I could snoop around, once every 2 weeks and bring computer programs and introduce the kids and teachers to the programs. DS took it as an opportunity to 'help' me and boss the other kids around. Not good! He was clearly very jealous of me 'concentrating' on other kids. Some of us have noticed that certian little Gifties are a powerful form of birth control as well.
Here's my thought: These young ones experience a much greater % of the world than they are emotionally ready to handle. Having Mom around to 'clarify' this high number of puzzling experiences is a good stratagy. Other Adults (sadly sometimes including Dad) talk down to the preschooler, don't give useful information fast enough, can't intuit what information the preschooler needs next, and laught at them because they seem 'cute.' Is it any wonder that they 'defend' their turf?
So I would seriously consider a placement in first, perhaps with subject accelerations as needed. There is nothing 'slight' about Highly Gifted. HG really stands out amoung even a crowd of MG (Moderatly Gifted - the vast majority of the gifted population) unless you have a very skewed population. The fact that you can't just blab away about your concerns with your neighbors tells me that you are not living in one of these unusual places, see what I mean?
Anyway - If you have access to the Iowa Acceleration Scale Manual, take a look and then ask us more questions!
One thing I love about starting the school experience with kids one year older, is that you eliminate a lot of questions, and also that your daughter gets a chance to keep the friends she makes. There is also an excellent chance that the social fit will be much better.
Love and More Love,
Grinity
