Reply to 1st grader bored - what can I ask the teacher?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm guessing this is your first kid.

My advice is not to "validate" anything before pressing the teacher on how to keep your precious little genius interested, but instead to let the teacher talk and hear what they have to say.  Even if your little genius is the first one to hand something in, it doesn't mean the work is good or that he's the most advanced in the class.  It could very well be that he can't focus, is anxious, and/or feels compelled to finish before everybody else.  [/quote]

Okay.  Everything is relative.  First, is "bored" a word frequently used in your house?  If so, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I was a first grade teacher.  There are times that every child in the class may be bored.  Waiting to get in line can be boring.  Waiting to go out on the playground is boring.  Waiting to ask a question of the teacher can be boring.  And, yes, sometimes, finishing your work before everyone else can be boring if you choose to make it so.  And, doing work you don't like can be boring, as well.

Now, for the conference with the teacher.  First, let the teacher talk.  Listen.  Then, if teacher says that your child is doing very well (don't expect teacher to tell you he is the top kid, whether he is or not, but she may say he is doing very well. I cannot tell you how many times parents have tried to get me to say that.)  If the teacher says he is doing very well, then is the time to ask if you think he is being challenged=--but tread carefully.  If teacher agrees that this is a problem with the child, then discuss what would work.

This may be far from the truth, but it is possible that your child may be at loose ends after finishing his work because he doesn't want to do the next task.  He may need more direction from the teacher, and it may be that he just does not like the choices.  It is possible, that the teacher is correcting him and he is using "bored" as an excuse.

There are all sorts of possibilities.

And, a piece of advice to parents out there.  In my own home, "bored" is considered a dirty word.   "Only boring people are bored."  Tell your son to find something to do if he has free time: draw a picture, read a book, write a story.  
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