Lorel - I totally agree with you. We are close with a couple of homeschooling families. If anything, I think these kids get more positive social opportunities than DS does at his public school. Homeschooled kids we've been in contact with are unusually articulate and socialize well with kids and adults. I don't think everyone can or should homeschool. And it's certainly not best if you don't want to do it! I'm not sure if we will. But I don't think having an extroverted child is necessarily a deterrent.
I don't think the board's at all competitive either? At least I don't look at it at that way at all. I love seeing what a wide range of GT looks like. This is one of the few places I can talk about DS with all his strengths and weaknesses.
I do feel for you Wren! I'm not sure we as a family could live in such an intense atmosphere in preschool. We are put off by the attitudes some parents have about our local GT magnet. Some families act like their children are at Harvard. And this is NOT a hard school to qualify for (92nd perceptile on NNAT or portfolio and random lottery - we did not get in due to lottery). The vast majority of kids are MG. We're not actually sure our DS would even be well served there at this point.
The fact that more girls than boys qualify says a little something about the process to get in this school. It is really picking the kids that test and interview well on particular days at age 4. I'm sure they turn away many kids that are "very" GT. I'm quite sure our DS (who we think is a level 4 kind of kid) would have failed miserably at this type of process at that age! He would not jump through other people's hoops at 3 and 4. This is why he didn't go to a Montissori. He was miserable on a 1 hour tour we took. The teacher literally looked down her nose and said our son wasn't a fit for her school. I was actually fine with that. It was quite obvious he wasn't! He went to a play based/social preschool which was SO much better for him. He hasn't been scarred in the least acadmically.
I think going into that process, you really have to know it's not a reflection on your child or parenting at all if they don't get in! I do know it hard to keep perspective and stay objective! I have gotten somewhat better at it in the past year. And supportive communities like this one help a lot. .
