Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Positive experience in public school?

Anyone with a child who is doing/did well in public school? I'm beginning to doubt it's possible. I know all our kids are different but I'm wondering if it's even possible to make it work within the confines of public school. I'm ready to give up! Any happy endings out there? I think were home-school bound, but I don't think I'm up for it, financially (single mom) or intellectually (genius child). Would love to know how everyone else is managing.

Thanks,

Maiasaura

It's absolutely possible, my DS being a prime example. Our small public school has bent over backwards to accomodate his education. Over the course of the day he is in grades K-5, depending on subject. He spends an hour a day with the gifted teacher in a one on one setting. This is the exact same school that refused to even consider early admission last year. So while it's not easy, don't give up hope.

If you can find someone in the school (in our case, the diagnostician)to advocate along side of you, it's amazing what can happen.

I'm all for public school if you can make it work. Dn't give up if you can see a way to make it happen that will be good for your child!

But if not, it is possible to homeschool an HG+ child. In elementary school, it's really not that hard. You know more than you think you do! Plus you don't have to know *everything*--public school teachers don't! You just have to know how to find answers. Bonus points for teaching the child how to find answers himself!

As your child gets older and starts to outstrip you in various subjects, your job shifts from teacher to guidance counselor, helping the child to find learning opportunities, classes, mentors, resources, etc. Plenty of parents homeschool PG kids even into high school. It can be done!

Single parenting and homeschooling is more difficult. Ideally you would want to find child care that could also handle some of the teaching load. Maybe you assign "homework" and the child completes it during child care hours. But it can be done.

Don't get overwhelmed, regardless of what you decide to do. There is always a way to make things work. It may not be ideal, but there's always a way.

We are at a school like Dottie's. I've been advocating for a little more than a year, pretty consistently. We are finally seeing some real progress and I think we have a really good situation worked out. I hesitate to post more as I want to see how it goes............

Advocating for any child with different needs at school takes time and patience. I'll say it's not for the faint of heart.

Many of the parents posting have kids in a similarly high IQ range. But the previous posters are correct in saying that they are all different and what works for one child may not work well for another child.

How old is your child? Happy or unhappy in school, currently?

I wish our public school was a fit. We tried. But they have no GT anything other than in class differentiation (which is teacher dependent and therefore completly unreliable) until 7th grade. Even the math and science curriculum superintendents told me the best time to bring DS8 back to school would be high school. I'm still hoping we can find an option before high school. So far, moving isn't an option for us... But I am definitely in favor of and supportive of public schools. And I envy all of you who have found good school situations for your children, whether public, private or homeschool. We're still figuring things out here.

My son is doing well in public middle school, with a summer birhtday, a full gradeskip granted while he was at a private school, and an honors Math class. During elementary years, in public, he had a wonderful year with a teacher who really got him. Even in his 'difficult years' he did learn a lot of life lessons. It doesn't have to be perfect for a child to thrive, but it has to be within what a child can tolerate, and seeing that his key adult(s) is(are) in their fighting for him goes a long way. Personality plays a very large role.
Best Wishes,
Grinity

I think it changes every six months!

I love the idea of homeschooling, my kids aren't totally on board. Well, one was, but we got submarined. That's a different topic, though.

No question(hee hee) about it though, whatever road you choose, there are NO easy answers.

I will say this. We've definately had some success. We have a fair and open minded principal. But there have been some really tough moments. There's a phrase: I'm a gentleman and a scholar. Well, then, I'm a pit bull and a strategist and I've almost waved the white surrender flag on more than one occasion.

There is something a LOT to be said for peacefully educating your child at home with an individualized curriculum.

I think it really depends on the individual teacher that your child has. Our son is in a great public school system. Full grade acceleration is not uncommon here, and there are currently 8 elementary kids who are transported up to the Middle School/Jr. High for subject acceleration. (and we are a very small school district, so 8 is an impressive number) However, even though we have an 8 year old in 4th grade, with a subject acceleration to 7th grade in Science, he is still having a rough year because several of his teachers this year just don't understand the needs of a HG+ student. Last year he was incredibly lucky to have both a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher, due to mid-year acceleration, who really understood his need to be challenged. They were happy to give him differentiated assignments in math and reading in order to keep his mind stimulated. This year, not even a whisper of differentiation. He is reading a group assigned AR book with a AR level of 3.3, when he tested on the first day of school on an AR level of 8.7. The teacher does not see a problem with that. <sigh!! ... "But it should help his writing if he is working on an easier reading level", says the teacher. "Not if it is so simplistic that he barely skims through the book", say his parents!>

So even within a single public school, you are going to have good teachers and not so good teachers. I guess the overall climate in our school district is supportive of highly gifted kids. They are giving the gifted elementary kids the Explore test soon, just so that they can have out-of-level data on what these kids need. The powers that be higher up in the food chain understand levels of giftedness and want data to see where the gifted kids are and what their academic needs are. And they have decided to find a high school student as a mentor for our DS8, so that he can talk to someone about taking classes and social interactions. So our school does try quite a bit. But sometimes the everyday classroom teachers need a bit of enlightening!! And since that is where your child spends most of his or her time, it can make a world of difference.

I am new..New to the whole gifted child thing. My son is in the gifted program in our public school system. He is in 2nd grade.
He is having some emotional issues with some other children. One in paticular has often told him that none of the other kids like him or want to play with him. My child has not forgotten this and it sometimes comes out when he is "acting out."
What really bites is that the kid who taunted my child is in the gifted program with my son.
I am learning now..how to cope and deal with these situations. Meanwhile, his regular teacher makes him feel like his behavior is not appropriate and that he needs mental help. She even told me that he may need medication. I have spoken with his gifted teacher and other teachers in the school and they have suggested that he is bored in regular class and is not being challenged. I know he never studies and finishes his homework within minutes. The reading material that he is bringing home is one sentence on one page. I am really at my wits end with this situation. Can anyone offer me some advice on what to do and how to deal...? Please. I must clarify.. His acting out behaviors are not at all disruptive and have only been minor.
I feel as if his teacher is doing him more harm than good because she does not know how to deal with a gifted child..or my gifted child.

ebeth - your district sounds great!