Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Have you seen this type?

Very familiar. DS7 still gets out and reads the Songbird Phonics books that we got him when he was starting to read at 2 sometimes! He did complain about being bored in maths, in his first term at school, and has had his own maths ever since (but isn't skipped). No other boredom complaints. I think a lot depends on good teaching; it looks as though DS's teachers so far have done a really good job of letting the children take a topic and run with it, and he seems to get hardly any busy work. Doubtless it's also partly temperament of the child, though. DS seems to like the whole school experience, and can always extract something of interest from any class. (He hasn't been tested, and I do confess to sometimes wondering whether what's actually going on is that he isn't gifted in general, he just has a weird thing for maths. However, if anyone else said this about a child with DS's history, I know I'd say they were in denial.) Be happy your DD isn't bored so far, and long may it continue!

Yeah, all the generally non-gifted kids I know were reading at 2.

It's so funny how different they call can be. DS7 never really complains of being bored in school. He did used to act out which showed us he was bored, but now even though we know he is not completely appropriately challenged (even with one grade skip +2/+4 acceleration in most areas) he still doesn't complain. When asked about science the other day (which they have not accelerated for him...of course I haven't pushed it yet) he said he thought it was fun and wasn't hard but was okay for him. He enjoys the labs and all that stuff they do. It's hard because I still have to try and challenge him and keep him interested even though he doesn't complain about it. But when you get 100% on everything, we need to up things a little. My DD4 doesn't act out and just quietly will sit through things that are easier for her. She hasn't been tested yet but I am sure she is gifted on some level.

Certain personality types will never complain, even if they realize the expectations set for them are ridiculously low. They learn how to cruise, when to look at their books, when to look up, and when to count to three before raising their hands, so that they let the other students participate and save only the most difficlt questions for themselves.

These students also learn that when the teacher or principal tells the students to try their best, the adults don't really mean *everybody*.

hmm, my son has not said that he is bored, HOWEVER he is constantly acting out in class and being disrespectful to the teachers (rolling his eyes and such) He is not advanced in all areas though. His reading is right about average. It is in the area of math that he excels. He seems to be doing the math worksheets in class and the ones he gets for homework willingly enough.

My ds never really complained until he started to feel some challenges via doing work a grade above. I think that because he never really felt challenged, he didn't know the difference. Once he encountered slightly more interesting material, the flood gates have opened. He is unwilling to be satisfied with work that doesn't fit. But it's not just complaining. It's really a "drive" that I see-he craves more and is more vocal about it.

DD8 values pleasing people and fitting in far more than knowledge, much less stretching herself in the pursuit of knowledge. My impression after quizzing her about this at the end of 2nd grade is that the thinking power she possesses which is beyond the current grade really is of little use to her at school, and that she spends a lot of time making her brain behave in class when it is bored or when it spots fallacies or ambiguities on tests.

Maybe in some twisted and wrong way that's how she avoids being bored.

Yes, my younger son is like that too. He came home from first grade the other day and said very excitedly, "mommy! We learned how to tell time today!"
I finally pointed out, "hey, you already know how to tell time! Remember?" He learned in preschool and we revisited it in kindergarten.
Having a child who is eager to please has good and bad points. At least she will probably do her homework or boring repetitive work, to a point, just to please the teacher. On the other hand, like my younger son, she may never say, "I know this already, can you give me more advanced work?"

I still feel even though they do not complain we need to challenge them...otherday during teacher was discussing term results and tells us DD skipped a block (5 questions in 60 test problems) and those are the only wrong answeres and told DD to answer slowly. she also mentioned thst sometimes DD gets bored in class and otherwise does exactly what she was told
let her sail.....

DD8 got a "ticket" in class yesterday because she was lost in a book. It's an advanced/gifted class where they are allowed to read if they finish their work early. DD has been using the word 'bored' to describe class more lately. Apparently the teacher called upon her but she could not disengage in time from the book to respond.

So the message behind the ticket is: You're allowed to be bored in class but you're not allowed to be so intensely interested in something that you cannot immediately stand at attention when called upon to engage in something boring.