When my son skipped 5th grade, in a 'high output' school, I basically had to 'breath' for him. We were joined at the hip for about 6 months. But I'm so glad that I did it. I had to keep reminding myself that I didn't want him to have to go through this transition alone when he got to college (like I did.)
Grinity
Wow, Grinity. Thank you for that. DS9 started 6th grade this year, and he's struggling in three subjects. And we are definitely conjoined twins as far as a lot of his schoolwork goes! Glad to hear I'm not the only one. I'm also glad to hear that this won't last forever.
I occasionally wonder about the wisdom of the skip, yet at the same time, I've also seen its obvious huge benefits. Sure, it would have been easier to let him go to 5th grade, but he's really, really learning, and he's challenged in school for the first time. I'm thrilled to see this happening at such a young age. The older the kid (adult), the harder it becomes to acquire good study habits.
Samson11, it sounds to me like your daughter is being challenged and it also sounds like she's rising to meet the challenge. I agree with Cathy A about not throwing in the towel just yet.
When my DS9 gets upset about challenging work (less now than last month and September, though), I remind him that most other kids feel the exact same way he does --- except they haven't skipped any grades.
I believe that a challenging school environment is hugely beneficial. When young kids face challenging work every day, they accept it and adapt to it. A likely outcome is that they'll be less prone to shutting down later in life when they're confronted with something hard. Kids who fit into the more typical IQ ranges face academic challenges as a matter of course. Our kids don't, unless we find a way to get them to that point. I know that DS is suffering a bit right now, but I'd rather see him experience a bit of suffering now than a lot of suffering later. I also try to think about all the brain development that's going on right now in him!
Oh, we also have one night a week that's just for the two of us. We go ice skating on Thursdays, and we organize his work so that he doesn't have to do any homework that night. This is a good outlet for relieving stress.
Hope that helps.
Val
