This is one reason why we work hard to challenge our kids at home. I was just going over Math Kangaroo problems with my eldest and his initial reaction to one of them was "I don't know! It's too hard!" A couple minutes later, the light went on and he got the answer. This was my cue to tell him about how important it is to learn how to solve a problem that looks hard at first, and then to remind him about how good he feels when he does something he thought he couldn't. When this type of experience happens enough time, a person stops being intimidated by a difficult problem and instead remembers all those other ones that were so hard at first, but were doable in the end. Of course, this lesson carries over into life....
Val
Exactly Val! So glad that you are doing this at such a young age! I think part of the pace problem does get answered by afterschooling, formal or informal.
Here's what I've heard, informally, from other BTDT parents:
Most teacher can do in class differentiation when the child is within one or two years of their actual readiness level.
So if you take a kid who is +3 mental age (which is already PG, if the more modest end of PG) Give them a .5 year credit for having a summer birthday, and .5 year credit if you live in a heavily red shirted community. Get a documented skip for a total of 2 years, and rely on teacher differentiation for the 3rd or 4th year, and volia! You are theoretically there.
I wouldn't reserve skips for PG kids in a community which has no gifted program, or in a place where the gifted program just isn't an option, or is 2 hours a week or less - and lets face it, these are the majority of programs in the U.S. right now. I would look at skips all along the range of Gifted, as a tool to solve problems - perfectionism, underachievement, social, or insulted-dignity problems.
Still, do afterschooling for the depth or pace as needed.
Persue subject accelerations in at least one subject to fill that intensity need. Here's the big secret: Children don't have to be in a program that perfectly meets all of their needs in all of their areas in a totally taylored way. There is a big difference between individually made clothing and and wearing a plastic garbage bag. Our kids need to be given something better than a plastic garbage bag, but usually they don't need the hand made clothing, just perhaps, to be allowed to choose ready made clothing for other departments, previously restricted.
((No Offense intended to the kids who DO NEED 'individually made clothing' - your kids are real, and you are doing a beautiful thing by taking them home and making sure they get what they need - you are my heros, but you know who you arde - and not to suggest that lots kids wouldn't enjoy that situation if it works for their family - I just don't want everyone thinging that their child NEEDS to be totally challenged and perfectly accomidated, just given something to wear besides a plastic garbage bag, ok?))
