Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Kindergarten 2009-2010

Hi - I don't fit in the group of people you're asking, but I'm piping in anyway (sorry). I really think that the LOG of your child doesn't matter as much as (1) your child's personality and learning style, and (2) the particular teacher you get. Just my .02.

I have read (although I don't remember where) that most gifties do ok in K because it is often a warm, fun, play-based environment. It is 1st grade when the focus is acedemics, that they've known for years, is when behavior issues begin due to boredom.

I wish I could remember the source. Sorry!! Obviously, we've seen different stories here so I'm not sure how often this holds true . . .

I would guess it depends on the kindergarten. In some areas, kindergartens seem to focus more on academics, more like 1st grade. We're hoping ours ends up being fun and supportive!

Ruf mentions that in her book "Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind." Incidentally, her book title is changing to "Five Levels of Gifted." See here: Ruf's LOG book, new title (scroll down)

Thanks for the sympathy, friends!

E&W, I agree that if K is the "learn to read" year where you are (and your child is already reading), then you may have some trouble, depending upon the personality of your child. If not, if it's more like preschool, you'll probably be fine. no academics is better than the wrong academics.

FWIW, my DYS kid did fine in a half-day K class with a teacher who "got" him and did her best to challenge him. If it had a been a full-day class or a bad teacher for him, I don't think it would have gone so well.

It wasn't until full-day 1st grade (our "learn-to-read" year) with a teacher who was uncomfortable with GT kids and refused to differentiate that our DYS kid had trouble.

I'll add, though, that if there's a good GT program in your school and you have a child who just misses the mark to be in the program, that can make for a rough time even for a ND+ child. I have a friend with a DD who has about a 120 IQ, and that seems like an accurate assessment, both to the mom and to me. The DD didn't qualify for any GT services, and she was MISERABLE in public school. Her parents finally pulled her out for one of the more rigorous private schools in our area, hoping that would better meet her needs.

As a personal note, I'm having the same worries about my DS5, whose LOG is not clear to me, if he's GT at all (or 2E, or...). So, yeah, I'm right there with you!

spg and sittinpretty -

Around here, the K looks a lot like 1st.

Maybe not as academic, but way more than a low key, play-based prechool. The teacher even mentioned it at the parent orientation night. She has been teaching so long, her kids went to K at the school and she remarked how our kids will be doing what her kids would have been doing in first back in the day.

It is the "learn to read" year. The trouble is, he is starting to read, but he is not fluent and does not have a lot of confidence. I will ask him to read a word or very short sentence and he will say "I don't know" or "I can't" and then once I get him to try, he can do it. Sometimes with mistakes and sometimes prettty accurately. I have read on this board that is typical: doesn't want to try if he can't do it perfectly (I struggled with this and still do)

So as you and the others have said personality and fit with the teacher is going to be huge. DS ranges all the way from compliant/cooperative to defiant/ornery. most of the time he is laid back and go with the flow. BUT, that is when he is comfortable and around people who "get" him. I could totally see him going into class-clown for attention mode, or worse.

Mrs Teacher seems like she is used to doing things her way. And has been doing it a long time. It is early in the school year (day 2), but my first impression is that she is not predisposed to accomodate for each kid and is not likely to since she has 25 instead of her usual 20.

This exactly describes what I am worried about. that he is in the 120-129 range; will miss the cutoffs for official GT programs; ed needs won't warrant a skip but needs still won't be met...

I will just have to work towards a different academic environment altogether once we move.

VERY glad to have the company!!!

thanks for piping in. your .02 is appreciated.

and thanks for the update on Ruf

I'm doing my best to hold off on worrying until after testing, E&W. Not that testing doesn't have it's own potential pitfalls, but I also know that most siblings are within 10 IQ points of one another. So if we have one HG+ kid in the family, chances are pretty decent that we have more than one. But second (and third, etc.) kids tend to present differently than the 1st kid. So what looks ND or maybe MG may really just be different GTness that we don't really recognize as such.

My biggest worry personally is that there's a 2E issue we haven't IDd.

Do you have ideas about what to do for your DS if the school situation he's in now is not a good fit, whether advocacy, another school, or homeschooling?

That's where I'm at: keeping my options open. I'm watching and staying positive about the school situation as it is, even as I consider other options in case it doesn't go well.

FYI, we're also seeing what looks like what I'd call "lazy reading" out of DS5--the ability seems to be mostly there, but he dosn't seem to be very accurate nor wildly interested (though he LOVES books and being read to). That's one of the reasons I worry that he's got some 2E issue.

...But then I also worry that I'm being paranoid, and he's just a normal kid. I don't want to be one of "those" moms.

You know I don't think the whole story is written down in one place anywhere so I'll just toss in a quick version here.

July 2008 I read an article about gifted kids and said "This sounds like Wolf." I went online, did some research (Yay Hoagies!), found out about early K entrance and contacted my district to find out if it was an option in our area. Mind you at that point I wasn't gung ho about placing him in early K, I JUST wanted to know if it was possible. Mid August 08 I found one person who actually knew the answer and wasn't rude. Then I was put in contact with the charter system and told he could start with one of their school (homeschool based system). Next I was told he couldn't because the school was full (lie). I was told by the district to homeschool K in 08-09 so we did and I just let him go at his own pace.

I quickly realized that a grade skip would do him a lot of good and talked with the principal of the charter schools again to see about getting him placed in 1st at 5yrs. There was much hassle, much disbelief and finally they allowed me to give him grade assessment tests at home. I think they wanted to prove to me I was seeing things that weren't there and pushing him and ruining his childhood, etc... I asked what to do if he aced them, they said come back and get the next level. By the time I asked for grade 3 math they were getting really tired of me.

I talked with one charter and both Wolf and I were treated rudely. I finally had an appt. with the teacher of the charter he would probably end up with and I spent a half an hour being lectured about how I was not allowing him to be a child. I didn't get to ask most of my questions about the program. That was the last straw.

I called the Independent Study program in the public school system of the neighboring district. I had talked to them before when we had thought about moving there. I told the head teacher all about Wolf and what he could do. She loved the idea of having him as a student. Then I told her the thing that turned everyone else off, he would be 5 in August 09. She had no idea what the problem with that was. He was my kid and I knew him better than she did. She was willing to take everything I said site unseen. She also specifically requested that he be her student and was willing to fight to get a transfer to go through if that was what it would take.

We applied for a interdistrict transfer and they were going to make us go through a bunch of red tape since we hadn't even enrolled in our home district yet, but the person in charge was the first person I had talked to who originally and I told her exactly what had happened and she pushed it through on her end. I had to wait till the day school started here to get the official confirmation that it went through though.

Hmmm I don't do short well...

LOL! You're in good company here with that.
Glad you kept at it and found something that worked for your son.