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My son is only 4, but will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Our public school does NOT have a gifted program. The school seems to push back, or at least make it difficult for you to get them to give separate work to one child. Anyone have any tips or luck in getting their advanced child help?
My son is already on the younger side for Kindergarten, so I don't want to skip him a grade. I just want him to jump up a grade for reading or have them put him in a class with another child who is already reading. Getting some more advanced math work for him would be great as well. If it's needed as info for you: he is reading, knows all his money (what it's worth, counting it) telling time by hour and half hour, and can add and subtract in his head.
A private school would be ideal, however, we simply can't afford it.
I'm worried he will be bored in kindergarten just learning letter sounds etc. Any help would be appreciated. Perhaps enrichment ideas for outside of school?
My girlfriend had a similar situation with her son. He was doing algebra in kindergarten. She talked with the school and they agreed to have him pulled out for math classes and go in with the fifth graders. It wasn't ideal, but helped challenge him a bit more than sitting in the kindergarten class learning how to color 2 of the 3 circles red.
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Originally Posted by KH02
My son is only 4, but will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Our public school does NOT have a gifted program. The school seems to push back, or at least make it difficult for you to get them to give separate work to one child. Anyone have any tips or luck in getting their advanced child help?
My son is already on the younger side for Kindergarten, so I don't want to skip him a grade. I just want him to jump up a grade for reading or have them put him in a class with another child who is already reading. Getting some more advanced math work for him would be great as well. If it's needed as info for you: he is reading, knows all his money (what it's worth, counting it) telling time by hour and half hour, and can add and subtract in his head.
A private school would be ideal, however, we simply can't afford it.
I'm worried he will be bored in kindergarten just learning letter sounds etc. Any help would be appreciated. Perhaps enrichment ideas for outside of school?
All three of my kids could do all of that before kindergarten - it just shows you've taken time to teach him and he's bright.
There's a lot of value in letting him be the brightest kid in the class. (which, by the way, mine weren't - about half the kids were as advanced as they were entering kinder. depends on what community you live in, maybe).
A really excellent first grade teacher told me that the brightest kids don't get bored. "Bored" is what kids say they are if they don't understand the work.
He could always, obviously, do better work with what's given to him. If the worksheet calls for you to put the first letter of the word pictured, he can write the whole word. If you have to write a few words describing an event, he can write a paragraph.
In my observation, the "gifted" programs in elementary schools end up being for hard working kids, not kids who are truly "gifted" as the program was intended.
He could always, obviously, do better work with what's given to him. If the worksheet calls for you to put the first letter of the word pictured, he can write the whole word. If you have to write a few words describing an event, he can write a paragraph.
I suppose so, however, that would have to be teacher led and overseen otherwise he's teaching himself. He could do that at home.
I would request a meeting with the principal and the kindergarten teacher once you find out who he has and go over the options for him.
We have a TAG program in our system and they typically do not identify kids for the program until 3rd grade.
Thanks! Yes, my older two children were tested in third grade and both tested gifted, though all that allowed them in my district is to participate in Odyssey of the mind if they wanted since we have no tag program.
Whether my youngest ends up testing "gifted" or not I just want to ensure that he maintains his knowledge and is able to expand upon it without being given busy work that's too easy.
This is a big problem, in that kids are not tracked according to their level, but according to their age. My experience was that my son, who was reading Harry Potter to himself for pleasure before entering kindergarten, was perfectly happy there, because of the group setting, the specials (gym, art, music), just the social setting. I taught him a lot at home - I taught him a foreign language, did math with him on our own, started him on private music lessons, athletics outside of school.
The only way you're going to get him to be taught at a higher level is at a private school, and only one that will teach him according to his level - not that easy to find.
Being bored in school is a real issue...but I wouldn't worry about it before there are problems at hand. He might really enjoy school. In most places they expect kids to come in knowing a lot of the things your son knows. And a lot of school in the early years is just fine tuning things and learning study and social skills. Learning how to line up, where to be, being independent, etc.
Our old school district was really into the G/T model and the kids that were in G/T weren't especially gifted, for the most part. They just loved school and worked really hard.
I think just keep up what you are doing with him and his love of learning and see how it plays out would be useful.
I largely echo the same sentiments. My son was in G/T for Kindergarten and part way thru 1st grade.
Nothing about the subject matter was past grade level, it was more for "studious, well-behaved" kids than it is for kids who know fractions, decimals, multiplication and, some division (like my 6 year old).
His kindergarten teacher was great but, the 1st grade teacher was a POS who just wanted the quiet kids so she could give them busywork while sitting in the back reading novels.
Now, he is in a "regular" class with a teacher who actually has experience with a wide array of children, and actually dies her job of interacting with the kids, and all of a sudden his classroom behavior, work output and, skill capacity have, visibly, greatly improved. Amazing.
Good teachers are worth their weight in gold, bad teachers need to be stocking shoes somewhere.
I largely echo the same sentiments. My son was in G/T for Kindergarten and part way thru 1st grade.
Nothing about the subject matter was past grade level, it was more for "studious, well-behaved" kids than it is for kids who know fractions, decimals, multiplication and, some division (like my 6 year old).
His kindergarten teacher was great but, the 1st grade teacher was a POS who just wanted the quiet kids so she could give them busywork while sitting in the back reading novels.
Now, he is in a "regular" class with a teacher who actually has experience with a wide array of children, and actually dies her job of interacting with the kids, and all of a sudden his classroom behavior, work output and, skill capacity have, visibly, greatly improved. Amazing.
Good teachers are worth their weight in gold, bad teachers need to be stocking shoes somewhere.
I have had the opposite but similar experience. My daughter has some learning delays and at first we did all sorts of tutoring and specialized teaching and it was painfully slow and she hated it. She is now in a traditional classroom (with a good teacher) and is making way more progress, way faster then I have ever seen from her. She is less self conscious about her learning struggles because she is in a group where kids have all sorts of weaknesses and strengths and she is just way happier and loves school. Today I told her she had a doctors appointment Friday. She asked what time and I told her I would have to pick her up an hour early and she said "oh good! I have a reading test that morning I don't want to miss". And I am thinking "who is this kid?" LOL
I know teachers matter, and a good one is worth their weight in gold. But also...maybe in some situations, the normal class is just fine.
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