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

I observed/volunteered in class with DS5 today. It was a good day, I think. They were counting the number of kids in the class who were/weren't excited about dressing up for Halloween and recording the results of the survey. The vote was 21 to 2. They counted the two "no" votes aloud. Then DS5 raised his hand and informed the class that 21 kids voted "yes."

"How did you know that?" the teacher asked.

"Because there are 23 kids in the class, and 21 and 2 make 23."

"Okay! Well, class, let's see if DS5 is right." They then counted all 21 hash marks.

I was THRILLED that he's taking the initiative to show his true colors in a way that isn't disruptive. That's not easy under the circumstances, and it's SOOOOOO much more effective than my having to advocate from zero. So that's Good Thing #1.

Good Thing #2 is that there wasn't much work for me to do, and the reading buddies from the 2nd grade were keeping the class occupied for the last 15 minutes I was there. That gave the teacher and me time to chat casually.

I asked her how she was adjusting to having K instead of 2nd grade and we chatted about her for a bit. It was cheerful and friendly. She had nice things to say about DS5, and I had nice things to say about the class. She shifted the conversation to DS5.

I brought up his sensitivity and that I hoped he wouldn't cry when I left class today, as he did last time. She was worried I was fearing for his well-being, I think, and I replied that no, I tend not to buy into all the drama of my emotional son. I like logic.

Score!

She replied, seeming to not want to step on my toes, but appearing to worry that I didn't get him, "Well, he's quite a logical thinker, too."

Me: "Oh, well, yes, when it comes to math. He's really excited about math. He loves it! And chess. That's his big thing lately. He's getting pretty good."

The chess surprised her, but it was good to mention it, I think. It got her attention, and since she was the one pushing ME to see his talents, I felt like it was a very effective casual conversation that didn't box her into a corner unintentionally.

I don't know how this will play out over time or if we'll try to keep him in the school long term. But she seems to be on the right track, though she's not differentiating for him yet. The K teachers still seem to be evaluating though, so I'm being patient. And really, if we can make this year work for him, that'll be enough.

So, yeah, a good day...

Excellent! I think this illustrates that at the 5yo age K can work for some GT kids. (We're often looking back and wondering what if we had this exact experience.)

Good to hear!

JB

Indeed. So much depends on the personalities of child and teacher, of the level of work, of the abilities of the peers in the classroom...

I am convinced that if it were full-day, he'd be a wreck. He is a lot more weepy now than he was over the summer, and I worry that it's lack of challenge. He's my sensitive kid, and he's been sick lately, so it's hard to tell what's affecting his moods. Is it school or is it just him?

*sigh*

Kriston - sounds good that he's starting to show his teacher what he can do! I wonder if she'll work with him on chess!

She told me she doesn't know how to play. So sadly, no.

But it's okay. He plays a friend on the Internet, plays against the computer, and plays family members.

Aww...does he have friends in school? I'm so worried about that for DS.

Oh, yes! DS5 is my social butterfly. We're lucky with him in that regard. In fact, for a long while I didn't think he was academically gifted, but we had ample evidence that he was socially gifted. He's the sort of kid that has a new best friend at every park he visits.

Plus he tells me EVERYTHING that happens at school. Every social issue, conflict, and bump in the road. Other parents regularly came to me to ask about what happened at pre-K. LOL! So if there were a problem, I'm reasonably confident that I'd know. (At least for now. I do realize that will probably change as he gets older.)

Good question though. It's definitely an issue to watch for. Social stuff was a problem for DS8 when he was in 1st grade. He did fine in pre-K and K, but he stopped fitting in in 1st.

But DS5 is either sick, growing, overtired, or underchallenged, I think. Or some combination. *sigh*

Are you seeing problems socially with your DS, Jamie? Or is it just the general fear of problems?

Kriston - that does sound like a good day!

JamieB - yes, I do think that it's a good thing that the counselor on the team thinks your son needs to move up. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

You're so lucky that he tells you about school