Reply to Should my kid be challenged in first grade?

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[quote=Anonymous]Maybe this is more of a philosophical issue than one with an actual answer, but it’s one I’ve been thinking about a lot recently.  How much should I, as a parent, reasonably expect the elementary school to provide for my smart but certainly not gifted kid who’s doing work at school at least a grade level below what she’s capable of?  Maybe two levels below in some areas.

It’s a very diverse school but not title 1/focus - so 25 kids in her 1st grade class.  I get how divided attention has to be with that many kids in the class, from even a good teacher.  And this teacher isn’t good.  Isn’t that bad either.  Just average (I hope).

Her last report card came home with ES grades in Analyzing and Responding to Art, Performing Music, Health-Enhancing Physical Fitness and Activity.  Last quarter the ES was in Movement Skills/Concepts and Personal/Social Responsibility (which are both listed under PE).  I asked the PE teacher to clarify that description for, at the very best, a completely average athlete.  He said all the kids get ES grades the first quarter.

The reading specialist tested her through the 6th grade level in word recognition/pronunciation (I’m sure there’s an actual title for what she did but I don’t know it).  The reading, math, and spelling she does in class are on a level that she could do on her own easily more than a year ago.

Those report card grades and the simple stuff she’s assigned just put the whole entire system into question for me.

So I thought - it’s just first grade, who really cares?  She’s happy enough in school.  No complaints come home.  If I want her to be challenged, we can do it together.  I’m no expert so I’m sure there’s more that I could be doing for her.  But it’s fine.  Probably.  But it makes me wonder if the system expected a lot out of her in school, well, then who knows what she’d be capable of.

So here are my questions: Should I really care?  I mean, she’s only 6.  Or instead am I failing my kid?  Or is the school failing her?  Should I expect more out of the school?  If I did, how would I even go about doing that?  Or do I just need to accept that this is what school is - everyone’s happy enough when you perform at an average level and behave most of the time.  See what I meant about philosophical?[/quote]

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