Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Telling friends about grade acceleration

Just be honest. Seriously, if other people have a problem with the idea...well, it's their problem and not yours. Think of this as a way to distinguish the cool people from the ones who aren't so cool.

My DD4 is thrilled that she's going to 1st grade next year and DS9 is pretty excited about starting middle school. To be honest, she might have been equally thrilled to be starting kindergarten, though I think she does have some idea that she's skipping kindergarten.

<sigh> If schools were reasonable about subject- and grade-accelerations for all kids who were able for them, mixed age classrooms would be the norm and we wouldn't have these problems!

Val

I thing a good rule of thumb is to say what you wouldnt mind you child overhearing. 'admins reccomended it'is an old favorite. so is - best fit and learn how to learn. You can always try - its what shes ready for. body language matters. project relaxed confidence even if you have to practice in a mirror. If they tell dire stories, have a relaxed: You dont say? ready. enjoy!

DS6 is being radically acce;erated to 4th next year. The people that know him understand why it's being done. The people that don't, draw their own conclusions. I think that because it's multi grades rather than just one grade level has made it easier in a way. A single grade skip causes the competitive/envious streak in some people. Multi grade skipping is so far out of the realm of possibility for most people that they just mentally label my son as a "freak of nature" and let it go.

My DS for his part just tells people it's because he's completed all of the other grades.

Yes, I think it helps that my DS spent at least part of the year in K and 1st before being accelerated to 2nd. So he can say, "I was in Ms. So-and-so's first grade last year." Somehow, people are more willing to accept that he is in 2nd and didn't "skip" anything.

Skipping K is more about the adults then the kids - since the peer group is just curious. More pointed questions they ask we found to be feed to them from adults. Agree with grinty - keep all talk what you don't mind hearing them tell anyone.

The one upside to older skips - I think sometimes - kids who were in the class or know the child - kinda get it anyway. Even when our pre-schooler told her friends she was going to first there was some huh but frankly I think it made some of the parents feel better. Like this isn't the basis for comparison - your kid is really bright. ours is just different.

We had one awkward moment with a neighbor kid who seemed to ask about every six weeks. In a not so great moment, I just said God made her brain different. I'd take that back if I could but in my head I often think of the little boys next door who were without training wheels at 3 years old. Just because they were 3 nobody kept saying stick the training wheels back on. I think like many posts here it is just getting comfy with it as the parent. Like Grinty or others noted, smile and ignore the stories of lives ruined by being youngest in grade. I think almost all the ones we heard were about the youngest in grade or a few who started a little early. I just figure that the decisions for those kids weren't made with the bevy of data we held on ours.

I'm a work in progress. But I'm striving to be a person who only address the issues that will impact a difference for my family. And that means just letting a lot of what people say go... I will say I think 90% (how is that for made up) of inquiries, critical comments, etc. came during the summer before either made a move. Now we only get the occasional, huh, when folks try to figure out the grade/age disparity. They say, I skipped. And that is it.

BWBShari, I wish we'd done that... would have been better to get it right the first time.

The part of your answer that I bolded made me think of how many like to say, "all kids are gifted". But I doubt it would go over well to say, "You know what they say, 'all kids are gifted', academics is my kids gift." I say sticking with saying the school thought it was for the best at this time for your child.

How do you go about having your child skip K? My daughter is 3 and can not start K until August 2011. She is already reading, adding, has known all of her colors and letters before age 2. I pulled up the K web site 2 months ago and out of 80 sight words she knew 76. I know she will be bored come K.

You need to talk to your administration, the principal, find out what the procedure is, if you need her tested, etc.