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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.
I assume that she is learning remotely at the moment so you can easily enrich the material the school is providing.
Keep in mind the fact that in-person education is both a social and academic activity. When in-person classes resume doubtless the school will administer tests to see where each student is academically. Once you have the results from that test discuss with the school the best class placement. I do not recommend your child be advanced more than one grade.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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VB anecdote. ~30 years ago
In our school district, Salem OR, district policy to have everyone finish 1st grade. I imagine for testing and for socializing evaluations. We didn't know this at the time.
Our DS was set aside in 1st grade, in his classroom, for advance/independent work. We thought he was happy since he never complained other than it was easy. Thanksgiving of his 2nd Grade, he Really wanted to quit school. He couldn't take the isolation and boredom for the rest of his academic life. I picked him up at school and found him bawling and holding his teacher's hand. Teacher said, we need to talk. I called DW to come down to the school, now.
So that day, Wednesday, before Thanksgiving, we had this adhoc meeting with the 3 grade teacher, the VP, and the schools' psychologist (650 kids in this school). Apparently they were ready for this. They immediately offered to jump DS to the 4th grade beginning Monday.
We said, What? How come? Where did this come from?
We said, that's a bit much, any alternatives? We chanced a mixed 3-4th grade class. He thus repeated the 4th grade a year later. Which he was again bored but figured out, this it was his lot in life and make the best of it.
DS kept himself occupied by a lot of reading, he speed reads. Later in 1996 (6th grade, middle school) he got a computer, no modem but with CD. Modems were pretty slow then and bandwidth expensive.
He graduated at the top of his HS class and went on to a great engineering school where he doubled, 3.8/4.0 gpa.
Ans to Q: Online class, tutoring, Something with coordination-pingpong, darts, sewing, puzzles, crafts, second language. It's tough with CoVid. Socializing, physical coordination development, ethics, manners, morality and intellectual foundations are formed now. No real answers, we too were floundering then but we did have help from the schools-mostly pamphlets and reading reference stuff.
I had a grade school classmate 60 years ago, who skipped 3&4 grades. I had a few dates her in HS. Too smart for me.
Last edited by leastprime; 11-12-2020 at 10:53 PM..
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.
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?
Just off the top of my head, I would suggest talking to the principal about it, to see if she could at least skip ahead in math a grade, or whatever's appropriate. Couldn't they do testing, to see where her math functioning fits in? Perhaps ditto, re: science. (Really? They teach science in 1st grade these days?)
Even in private schools, some students can feel not challenged. The advantage of private schools, though, usually is, that they're more flexible on letting students skip a grade, or whatever's appropriate: arranging for them to take different course material at different grade levels, or whatever works.
In any case, it sounds like your daughter should be tested, to ascertain her ability level. See if the school can provide that. If not, get her tested elsewhere. First things, first: you need a "diagnosis", via test results.
Quote:
Originally Posted by leastprime;
We chanced a mixed 3-4th grade class. He thus repeated the 4th grade a year later. Which he was again bored but figured out, this it was his lot in life and make the best of it.
I find this to be an odd story. I'm glad everything worked out well in the end, and that's very cool, that the school had a mixed 3rd/4th-grade class that he could go into, but having a kid work below their ability, repeating a class after having a melt-down due to boredom a year earlier, doesn't sound like a good way to go. It sounds like you gave him lots of support in terms of providing extra materials to keep him interested and mentally challenged...? IMO, keeping a gifted student working below ability level is very risky; it tends to turn kids off to school, but I suppose, that to some extent, that depends on the individual child. You were lucky, apparently, he adjusted, somehow. I wouldn't recommend a strategy like that for others. But I know this is a controversial topic.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 11-13-2020 at 06:43 PM..
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
I find this to be an odd story. I'm glad everything worked out well in the end, and that's very cool, that the school had a mixed 3rd/4th-grade class that he could go into, but having a kid work below their ability, repeating a class after having a melt-down due to boredom a year earlier, doesn't sound like a good way to go. It sounds like you gave him lots of support in terms of providing extra materials to keep him interested and mentally challenged...? IMO, keeping a gifted student working below ability level is very risky; it tends to turn kids off to school, but I suppose, that to some extent, that depends on the individual child. You were lucky, apparently, he adjusted, somehow. I wouldn't recommend a strategy like that for others. But I know this is a controversial topic.
DS had the same teacher for the 4th grade (mixed) as he had in 3rd (mixed). The 4th grade was a time waster for him. He managed. We believed that he should be socialized, physically near matched, and mentally mature.
Intellect can only get you so far and will be less important later in life. We were not convinced that a rapid grade advance to intellect level is an answer in k-12 grades. And yes he did breeze thru HS, just as my classmate breezed thru, both NMS earners. He also did very well in college and took many extra curricular activities.
Each child is different. DS is pretty stable and can handle the challenges. Nothing really fazes him. His ability to socialized got him further along for grad school, internships, and his early jobs. Our neighbor (same age) skipped 2 grades (grades 5,6?). He left UCB after 1 year, almost failed undergrad at our state flag engineering school and barely got into the grad program. But in grad school he blossom, got hired by Space X not as a line engineer but as a managing engineer. Now does something in a startup automation company. Amazon has yet offered enough money and opportunity.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Unschooling worked for ours.
First time they attended was collage at age 16.
They were not advanced students, but loved learning from a variety of situations (as do we). We just kept them engaged in daily life, including budgeting and finance. We lived international while they were aged 6-12. Age 13-15 they designed and built their own rural homes. That equity and their Roth IRAs (since age 12) covered college expenses. (Which was nearly free, they didn't have to touch IRAs)
They always tested a few grade levels higher, especially math and reading. 'average' scores and schooling is very easy to accomplish. When you get into the workforce.... You better not be average!
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.
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.
Exactly!
This was so true for my child. One of her teachers, years later, said to me "Imagine if we hadn't skipped her!". I shudder to think. Skipping didn't solve everything for her, but spending one more year in school with her age mates just because they were "supposed" to be at the same level would have been much worse.
Every kid is different.
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