Wow, thanks for all the info. Great insight into the Montessori process. My son LOVES school and can't wait to go every day, so we do have that going for us.
I've even been able to pull out him some great info on recent lessons he enjoyed. What I've been able to determine is: 1. There is SOME review (which he does not like and feels that he does not benefit from). 2. He is learning lots of new lessons/material as well. 3. He prefers the small group lessons vs. individual independent works. 4. He prefers to have a little direction throughout the day (i.e., he likes having a cheerleader.) 5. He'd like a few minutes every day to meet with his teacher to discuss the day's lessons/works so that they can talk about what was review and what was novel info. He'd also like to have some input on how much writing he needs to do to master a work. He says on some of them, it helps to write them several times; he thinks he can master some works after writing one or two examples. (I'm not sure how much input a 7 year old should have with this, but I like his idea of a short 5 min meeting at the end of the day.)
I do think we need to help him somehow b/c he's still very emotional at school and gets upset with himself multiple times daily. This results in meltdowns complete with yelling and crying. His teacher sent me a list of works that he's working on this month, and they seem appropriate for the most part. It's the reading, writing, and math that concern me. His teacher knows how well he reads. Yet, he still gets 2nd grade level SRA exercises and is expected to read the same books as all 2nd graders for reading circle.
He feels he's not good at math, yet his test scores do not reflect this. Also, when he doesn't think he's doing math, just solving a simple household problem, his mental math abilities amaze us. I wonder if he's equating ability with speed like he does with so many other things. He doesn't hate writing; he hates how long it takes him to write. He thinks everyone else is finishing faster than him. I'm afraid that he's not going to progress in math if he doesn't show them what he can do. I like the idea of a math placement test so that they can see where he is and what he is capable of. They do SRA, which I gather is some kind of reading comprehension program. He says he has to read baby stories. The stories are not interesting to him so he zones out and has to start again. I can SOOOO relate to this. He got his ADHD from me!
DS's teacher said he is completing, on average, 2-3 works per day. Her goal is 4-5 works per day. Ds's goal is 6-7 works per day. I told him I'd be thrilled with 4-5, and I set up an incentive program with him. We do not do electronics during the week in our house (no TV, no DSi, no Wii). DH and I told him if he completes 4 works per day, he can choose one electronic for 45 minutes after school. If he completes 5, he can choose 2, and if he completes 6 or more, he can choose 3. Well, today was the first day of this program, and he completed 6. His teacher said he asked for her help in planning the best way to complete at least 6! LOL So, he CAN do it if he wants. He even worked through his free-time (which he loves) so that he could finish 6 works. I am so proud of him for making such an effort and even sacrificing something he loves. I don't want him to burn himself out, but he can't settle for middle of the road. Like me, he's an all or nothing kind of person.
If he continues to work at this pace, he'll be into all new material soon enough, right? We'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks, and of course, we are continuing the counseling.
As for the traditional classroom, definitely not a good idea for my ds. BTDT! Nightmare for all involved. He hated school, cried every day before and after school, and was in trouble ALL day for talking too much, getting out of his seat, and blurting out answers. Their suggestion was to keep repeating grades regardless of how academically advanced he was. That was a private school, and that was what led us to homeschool last year. Public school is not an option.
Our other school option is a very small (one room schoolhouse model) private school. All of the students are gifted or 2e. DS went there for enrichment classes and science class when I homeschooled. He participated in middle and high school science projects and had a blast! The down side is the limited number of kids his age (right now, they actually have only middle and high school students, but they all love ds) and the extremely small number of students in general.
Again, thank you. Don't know what I'd do without you all! I'll keep you posted.
