What have you done to Counter your chIld's boredom at school

[Anonymous]

I hate these "gifted kid" discussions on DCUM but it's important to note that a child who's this advanced in reading isn't necessarily any more mature than his peers, and this is asking a lot of him, maturity-wise. Maybe he can handle it but many kids couldn't and that doesn't mean they don't deserve an actual education. Schools need a better way to deal with the reality that some kids (even some that don't end up "gifted") read earlier than others. My DS was reading middle school chapter books by the time he arrived in kindergarten and they had NO idea how to deal with that. It started a chain of bad educational accommodations that lasted for several years.

Well what did you do to keep encouraging/supplementing your child? Did you look into changing schools? Did the school you attend just shrudge you off?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone come up with a "line" or truth in explaining to their child "easy" is not necessarily bad but here is what you can do to challenge yourself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate these "gifted kid" discussions on DCUM but it's important to note that a child who's this advanced in reading isn't necessarily any more mature than his peers, and this is asking a lot of him, maturity-wise. Maybe he can handle it but many kids couldn't and that doesn't mean they don't deserve an actual education. Schools need a better way to deal with the reality that some kids (even some that don't end up "gifted") read earlier than others. My DS was reading middle school chapter books by the time he arrived in kindergarten and they had NO idea how to deal with that. It started a chain of bad educational accommodations that lasted for several years.

Well what did you do to keep encouraging/supplementing your child? Did you look into changing schools? Did the school you attend just shrudge you off?

Unfortunately there wasn't much we could do until fourth grade when the HGC program was available. Third grade was extremely hard for him -- he was very bored and unhappy/angry, there was some teasing going on, etc. The HGC was like an oasis.

If I had it to do over again I would have put him in a Montessori program that goes through third grade -- there are a few around. Montessori really allows/encourages kids to work at their own level and follow their own interests, so I think that would have worked well.

[Anonymous]

When I was in second grade I was extremely bored in school and I told my father how boring it was, particularly when the teacher review things I had known for years. His advice to me was when I was bored I should try to invent something...think of a problem that could use a solution and a new idea for how to fix it. In 4th grade I had an idea for changing how they handled the lunch line that I told to the principal who made the change...came up with it while bored. I STILL do that when I'm in a boring meeting, and I've had ideas that have been implemented at work to great success that I thought of while bored.

[Anonymous]

8:28, you sound like you were a pretty cool little kid.

[Anonymous]

8:28 - I love your father. He raised an intelligent, responsible problem solver who positively contributes to society; not a boring spoiled, coddled impossible to employ whiner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My stays out of trouble by reading books. He is in first grade and reads many grade levels above his current instructional level. He used to misbehave esp in K b/c he fooled around when he finished his work quickly. This year, our solution was to give him some books to keep in his desk to read when he finishes his work quickly. He was really too immature to figure out what to do with himself when he finished his work in 5 mins and still had 20 mins left before the rest of the class finished. It is better this year b/c he is in the highest reading group and his teacher can more easily deal with advanced kids who finish work quickly.

We did this, as well. We sent in books on topics that interested him, and he could read them after he got his work done. I have found that it is less of a problem in 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

Just because a child is "bored," doesn't mean that what he or she is being taught is inappropriate. I have a 2nd grader that reads well above grade level and claims that she is "bored" with what she is learning in class. However, when I quiz her, it's clear that, even though she is a great reader, she still needs to master many of the skills she is being taught when it comes to writing (spelling, punctuation, etc). Her ability to read outstrips her actual technical knowledge of the language, and I'm sure it is "boring" to go back and learn it. However, it is necessary, albeit not nearly as much fun as reading chapter books about topics that interest her. No one ever said that school was always going to be fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:perhaps this kids insn't gifted and talented?

there are many reasons kids are bored. perhaps the teacher is boring.

not all kids like school. and some of us managed to succeed there despite not liking it very much.

Gifted and talented kids are never bored in school. That's one of the biggest myths -- "Oh my kid misbehaves because s/he is bored. MUST BE GIFTED."

Uh-uh. Gifted kids always find something to do that interests them. That's what makes them gifted. Not mastery of the material.

This is just flat out wrong.

On the contrary, I am a Ph.D. in early and childhood education. I know the research. What are your credentials for challenging my assertion?

[Anonymous]

If you fear boredom for your child, you should homeschool. Otherwise, kids should learn to roll with it -- not every minute of every day is stimulating. Are you never bored?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate these "gifted kid" discussions on DCUM but it's important to note that a child who's this advanced in reading isn't necessarily any more mature than his peers, and this is asking a lot of him, maturity-wise. Maybe he can handle it but many kids couldn't and that doesn't mean they don't deserve an actual education. Schools need a better way to deal with the reality that some kids (even some that don't end up "gifted") read earlier than others. My DS was reading middle school chapter books by the time he arrived in kindergarten and they had NO idea how to deal with that. It started a chain of bad educational accommodations that lasted for several years.

Well what did you do to keep encouraging/supplementing your child? Did you look into changing schools? Did the school you attend just shrudge you off?

Unfortunately there wasn't much we could do until fourth grade when the HGC program was available. Third grade was extremely hard for him -- he was very bored and unhappy/angry, there was some teasing going on, etc. The HGC was like an oasis.

If I had it to do over again I would have put him in a Montessori program that goes through third grade -- there are a few around. Montessori really allows/encourages kids to work at their own level and follow their own interests, so I think that would have worked well.



This is what I did with my 1st grader. Never thought I would do private but he really was reading chapter books before he was 5 and is just really focused about work. Montessori seems to be working well for him now. Still planning to switch back to public father grade 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:perhaps this kids insn't gifted and talented?

there are many reasons kids are bored. perhaps the teacher is boring.

not all kids like school. and some of us managed to succeed there despite not liking it very much.

Gifted and talented kids are never bored in school. That's one of the biggest myths -- "Oh my kid misbehaves because s/he is bored. MUST BE GIFTED."

Uh-uh. Gifted kids always find something to do that interests them. That's what makes them gifted. Not mastery of the material.

This is just flat out wrong.

On the contrary, I am a Ph.D. in early and childhood education. I know the research. What are your credentials for challenging my assertion?

Look at the research on gifted kids in unchallenging environments. And just think about it empirically. Put a kid into a classroom setting and teach them several levels below their aptitude. In most classrooms, that kid can't get up and find something interesting to do. They have to sit there and do soul-killing worksheets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you enroll her in or teach her computer programming? She could develop those skills and maybe start small with website development and apps. Then use that $ to build something bigger and better.

If that doesn't work out, maybe you could teach her psychiatry, and she could pick up a few extra bucks that way. Seriously, this is the dumbest idea I've ever heard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:perhaps this kids insn't gifted and talented?

there are many reasons kids are bored. perhaps the teacher is boring.

not all kids like school. and some of us managed to succeed there despite not liking it very much.

Gifted and talented kids are never bored in school. That's one of the biggest myths -- "Oh my kid misbehaves because s/he is bored. MUST BE GIFTED."

Uh-uh. Gifted kids always find something to do that interests them. That's what makes them gifted. Not mastery of the material.

This is just flat out wrong.

On the contrary, I am a Ph.D. in early and childhood education. I know the research. What are your credentials for challenging my assertion?

I hope this person is trolling. If not, have they ever been in an elementary classroom? Find something to do? Really? Like what? What can they do that they will be allowed to do? My son gets in trouble for drawing in his sketchbook when he finishes early. Or reading. Or writing a story. Or doing other work. Presumably he's supposed to sit quietly with his hands folded. I guess GT kids are all little Buddhas, and they just meditate while the other kids laboriously finish their work? Or perhaps the kids PP is talking about are gifted at sleeping with their eyes open?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless you have the means to pay for private school, you don't have much choice until GT classes begin. My son is at a magnet school and while he is semi-bored, he is surrounded by other high ability kids so he has a good peer group.

This.