Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Talking to a newbie friend about acceleration

What I love about the 'afternoon 1st grade' idea is that one one has to commit to anything for many months, AND you daughter gets some academic stimulation right now!

The culture of teachers, in most places, is that skipping a grade is this huge deal that will impact the life of the child, for worse, forever. I think that for many kids they could go either way and it wouldn't be a big deal, actually. Then there are a few kids who could be damaged by not skipping, just as surely as kids who are skipped for the parent's vanity.

Perhaps we could say that it's the same thing in the end. Some parents push for a grade skip to validate their own family 'smartness.' Some school personnel push against a grade skip to validate their 'ability to meet the needs of every child in the room' but the Adults who show the most maturity can put their own agenda aside and consider the needs of the child in any particular situation independently.