Oh dear.
Well, there is a third possibility, which is that the teacher sees a deficiency that she is attempting to remediate with such a placement. I know, I know-- but go with me for a sec, here.
Timmy is so strong academically that he really doesn't have anything much to learn ACADEMICALLY from the curriculum for the rest of the year... Hmmm... what could he learn in my classroom? Well, he's certainly come a long with with understanding and following directions, and with group work...
I wonder if he could learn better social skills? How could I challenge him to do that?Just a thought.
I'm not for a moment saying that this strategy is anything like "appropriate" particularly since it wasn't discussed with you at all. However, it's easy for me to see how a placement as a "helper" (?) in a group with significant academic challenges WOULD be a considerable challenge-- socially-- for a young HG+ child.
I'm a little concerned that this particular challenge may teach such a child that s/he should DUMB DOWN, though, which probably isn't what the teacher intended. The other unintended consequence of that strategy might well be to teach that school is a place for SOCIAL rather than academic learning, and that perfectionism is the only academic challenge available.
Food for thought before your conference, I hope. Good luck!
