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Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,079 posts, read 7,519,082 times
Reputation: 9803
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ClaraSalgado
Hello. My daughter is 6. She is attending 1st grade at a Vanguard public school (considered top public). ...also likes science and drawing. What options do I have? .
In our previous home, we started DS into private instrumental music lessons. IIRC, the public school started music in the 3rd grade. DS spent far more hours on his violin than on any academic work.
In our new home in Eastside Seattle, (think Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Expedita, T-Mobile, Zillow, etc, ) what's popular- are private lessons in music, languages (heavy non-native born population), math and computer languages; art school. Subjects such as these are not age dependent or "book" learning/knowledge but a certain type of skill development. I'd look into these areas.
There are a lot of smart kids in this world. Getting a grounded smart kid is a goal.
Hello. My daughter is 6. She is attending 1st grade at a Vanguard public school (considered top public). Since K she has been telling us she is not being challenged, she is spending many hours at school (whatever the way of delivering it these days) but not learning new things and getting bored. She is a strong reader, advanced in maths for her grade, also likes science and drawing. What options do I have? We have been in Houston for only 3 years, so I have no previous knowledge. How can a child who is 1 or 2 grades ahead of her peers keep on growing and learning? Top private? TH Rogers? On line? Homeschooling? Thank you all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClaraSalgado
Hello. My daughter is 6. She is attending 1st grade at a Vanguard public school (considered top public). Since K she has been telling us she is not being challenged, she is spending many hours at school (whatever the way of delivering it these days) but not learning new things and getting bored. She is a strong reader, advanced in maths for her grade, also likes science and drawing. What options do I have? We have been in Houston for only 3 years, so I have no previous knowledge. How can a child who is 1 or 2 grades ahead of her peers keep on growing and learning? Top private? TH Rogers? On line? Homeschooling? Thank you all.
Having abilities several grades ahead of magnet/advanced/etc. public schools is par for the course for children raised in stable households with involved parents. Typical children are able to learn at a much faster rate than standardized curricula are delivered in public or private schools. School curricula--even GATE stuff--is limited by the idea of "no child left behind." That means that there are a lot of Herbies holding the rest of the class back.
Different families will have success with different approaches. What works for us is supplemental lessons outside of school, and treating school as a social/emotional sandbox and a "fill-in-the-gaps" resource. We use free resources like Khan Academy and various English/Language and science materials from the internet. This is labor-intensive for parents and requires the ability to spend quite a bit of time instructing your children outside of school, so it won't work for everyone. There are commercial entities like Kumon and tutors available for those who don't have the time to do the instruction, themselves.
We don't see any reason to rush our children through school or hurry them into the workforce. Furthermore, public school is a shared experience that complements a well-rounded upbringing. The key, if your child is ahead of the material, is to make it a fun review and view it as an opportunity to develop the discipline to do repetitive work that may not always be fun. So, even though our 6-year-olds are working multiplication problems while their classwork still consists of 1-digit addition and subtraction, they know they are required to stay engaged and complete their assigned material thoroughly and with precision.
If you stick with public school, you will likely find some material that you would not think to teach. Though delivered slowly, the material covered is fairly thorough.
Having abilities several grades ahead of magnet/advanced/etc. public schools is par for the course for children raised in stable households with involved parents. Typical children are able to learn at a much faster rate than standardized curricula are delivered in public or private schools. School curricula--even GATE stuff--is limited by the idea of "no child left behind." That means that there are a lot of Herbies holding the rest of the class back.
....
This was a common problem even when I was in school years before NCLB. I'm sure the teachers thought they were being fair and kind by spending so much effort on those who couldn't or wouldn't "get it." But they could never understand, then, or when my own children were in school, how manifestly unfair it was to the rest of the students, and downright cruel to the top 20% or so who were forced to slog through material they already knew. Or worse, punished for "getting ahead of the class."
I would focus on enriching her in other ways. Make sure she has access to lots of books through the library that are on her actual reading level. She's interested in art, so provide her with art materials, and if possible when the pandemic ends, supplemental art classes. This is the perfect age to take up a musical instrument. Violin, ukulele, piano if you happen to have one--all good instruments for a child this age. I'd see about getting her into lessons, which will stimulate her mind, give her something to practice, and keep her challenged. She can work at her own pace along with her teacher.
Could you clarify what "spending many hours at school (whatever the way of delivering it these days)" means, exactly? She's going to a school building, not doing online classes at home? And what's Vanguard?
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Vanguard is the name Houston ISD gives to gifted/talented classes and programs. Every school has some Vanguard students, there are a few Vanguard schools.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kettlepot
Know your child.
A child's social issues caused by remaining trapped with children with whom she has no connection may be far worse than any social issues caused by skipping a grade.
Staying put isn't necessarily the safer option.
I was young for school, having started in a state where entry to first grade was based on a birthday before December 31st. I was moved from 2nd to 3rd grade mid-year, and it was a disaster socially, which impacted the academics as well. I ended up repeating 3rd grade from the beginning.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,079 posts, read 7,519,082 times
Reputation: 9803
Quote:
Originally Posted by tnff
This was a common problem even when I was in school years before NCLB. I'm sure the teachers thought they were being fair and kind by spending so much effort on those who couldn't or wouldn't "get it." But they could never understand, then, or when my own children were in school, how manifestly unfair it was to the rest of the students, and downright cruel to the top 20% or so who were forced to slog through material they already knew. Or worse, punished for "getting ahead of the class."
Okay, now that I understand that she's *already* at a designated G/T school and still complaining about feeling bored, I would say you need to chill a bit with your expectations. (My advice about learning a musical instrument, art enrichment and lots of reading enrichment still stands.)
1) We are in the middle of a pandemic. Teachers are not able to deliver instruction in the ideal way, and absolutely, everyone is suffering--kids, parents, teachers, school systems--EVERYONE. I would not take base your future plans off anything that has occurred in 2020. Period. These are not normal times.
2) Are you basing this decision off what a 6-year-old says, or off of feedback from her teacher? I would just make sure before you consider drastic action (like a schooling change) that your daughter *actually is* way ahead of all of her classmates, to the point where she can't be taught effectively with them, rather than that merely being her 6-year-old perception of the situation.
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