Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Teaching to academic level...

Yes. Next year we are hoping DS6 can attend a brand new private school for 20 GT children from ages 5-12. We are putting all of our eggs into this basket hoping for a great outcome. There will be no grade levels only ability grouping. Sounds very promising.

I just don't know if he can survive the next 4 months without getting a much more negative opinion of school.

Sounds like the teacher has a bad case of overconfidence. It's hard not to feel stonewalled when dealing with people like that. The only way I see as getting around this is to agree to disagree and then see if they are willing to use objective data to make a decision about whether to give him accelerated material. Would teacher be willing to look at curriculum-based above grade level testing? BTW, I suspect your DS would ace that 3rd grade state test she's talking about...

As far as bringing in other material like Singapore math... It's a great idea in theory. But only if you're pretty confident that she wouldn't get p.o.'d at the suggestion she might not be all-knowing...

Oh, I'm sorry -- I think I knew that. Sometimes I forget backstory without faces to put on names.


Poor kid. At the worst, then, you can hope for 4 more months, then done. Not perfect, but better than no solution looming ...

Oh My Crisc! Only 4 months to go! Can they just switch teachers if you promise that he won't be there next year? This teacher you are dealing with just seems 'not a good fit' for your son!

As far as social skills group, I have to say that they did that for DS, and it seemed to work, it got him out of the classroom at least, but it really really BUGs me. No one ever thinks to organize social skills training to help ND kids 'fake play' with Gifties. Can you imagine the teacher coming in with cardboard cutouts of nonreaders 'faking an interest' in games that require reading? How about teaching ND kids to politely listen while Gifties lecture on their favorite subject, and being expected to 'fake some enthusiasm' for the topic?

Oh well!
Grinity