Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Another look behind the curtain - first grade

Yep, this is basically what we're getting as well from the teachers. The teacher told me that DS doesn't know how to do a proof theorem with sticks and circles. She said "I bet XXXX (first grade teacher last year) didn't teach him sticks and circles!" I said "No probably not, because he learned place value a long time ago, like in preschool." I think his second grade teacher is actually a bit annoyed that the first grade teacher taught him advanced concepts and not the regular first grade curriculum. I told her that DS already passed the district test for second grade math, which the first grade teacher gave him last spring (he was 99 percent accurate out of 140+ questions!), so she shouldn't need to bother with any of the second grade curriculum, and she said "You keep bringing up that district test, but I was involved in writing that and it doesn't test EVERY SINGLE STANDARD. Those standards might be on the state test!" So basically the teacher was wasting so much class time trying to find the 2 percent or whatever that DS may not have been exposed to, while giving him "logic sheets" maybe once a week when it became too painfully clear that the work was too easy. I put my foot down and the principal, IEP manager, and other district admin got involved, and now he's being sent out of class to work independently but it's obviously still a ridiculous situation.

blackcat- that is frustrating.

I can sympathize with the teachers feeling the pressure to make certain their students meets, standards, too - I really can...to a point. While I am patiently trying to explain that they really do not have this concern with DS, however, he is dissolving into a puddle.

This is an area where educators and administrators may truly be operating at cross-purposes from parents. As a parent I would prefer that there were topics on standardized tests that my daughter felt she "had no clue about" and the earlier in her life, the better.

That is, I would have WANTED her K-3 state tests to have a few topics that she DID NOT know inside and out-- because it might have sent the message that she isn't supposed to "already know" what she encounters in any testing situation.

Yet another way to reinforce perfectionism. Now, teachers and administrators want perfect (or near-to-perfect) scores, not situations that promote growth mindset. I get it, and I understand why they must act in that manner. But it's really bad for gifted learners.

You have to wonder what she thought she was doing as part of the district test development team, if it wasn't designed to be reflective of the standards assessed on the state test. I mean, isn't the whole idea that the 2nd grade district test will be predictive of performance on the state test? If anything, it ought to have wider coverage than the state test, as the state curriculum standards are supposed to be the -minimum- that each district covers in instruction.

Yes! Maybe include a smattering of a few 1-3 grades above level questions on each topic, that aren't included in the composite score for state testing, but which serve as a basic screen for giftedness and have the dual purpose of deterring perfectionism. It would be cheap and easy to implement. The efficiency and effectiveness of my proposal is probably why it hasn't been implemented; the same agency probably produces the battery of other tools, and a consolidated test would eat into margins.

I so sympathize with you and remember this sort of thing from DD's earlier years.

I have to say though that lying to our DD never helped. She knew she wasn't learning anything and just got annoyed that we didn't believe her - when we were just trying to boost her spirits. Just like when we said things like "the teacher is trying her hardest and wants what's best" she knew that was a lie too and that, in fact, the teacher found her annoying and wanted her to shut up and get all 100% if she was so smart.

Why not just lay it out "OK, I appreciate that you aren't really learning anything and that it sucks... let's brainstorm ideas to make you feel better." Even if you can't do everything you come up with (because of external constraints of the school or whatever) you are at least transferring the locus of control onto you and your DS and away from the teacher.

Teachers hate that, by the way, but it has worked great for us.

I have to say though that lying to our DD never helped. She knew she wasn't learning anything and just got annoyed that we didn't believe her - when we were just trying to boost her spirits.

Ditto.

I hear you both. This, however, was said to a 6-year-old who was working himself into an upset state that was about to manifest itself in him melting down and possibly refusing to board the school bus.

DS knows that we've needed to "keep learning" at home (afterschooling, anyone?), because he has felt that school is "sssoooooo easy." We are trying to foster his "growth mindset" at home. So his feelings are being acknowledged, but I am trying to avoid the outright refusal to go to school while I try to get the school to understand his needs (which I HAVE been trying to do, albeit unsuccessfully, so far).

I don't want to - somebody tell me I'm justified in not extending this upstart kid, oh and how do I blow off the parents with the least amount of confrontation

Ds7 is OK with school because he likes sport.

Right now though he has a full leg cast and it will still be on when school start at the beginning of February. I am a little worried.

I have noticed though that the teachers don't really undwrstand that I don't want my kids at the top of the class at everything - I deliberately don't push them to do their spelling homework for instance.