Reply to Bright child in early elementary- what are my options?

Forum Index » Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Reply to "Bright child in early elementary- what are my options?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Many parents with highly able kids struggle with this.  A friend tried adamantly to skip K but teachers/admin refused.  My DC was highly gifted in math (taught himself to multiply and divide fluently in K). But there was nothing short of homeschooling that we could have done.  He’s in 4th now and was bored in math throughout but now is at least enjoying the faster paced compacted math.  It’s really not fair that these kids have to go through the same curriculum as their slower counterparts.  It’s almost as we’re punished for teaching our kids to read before K.  But I’ve always hated this aspect about public school.  Everyone has to learn at the same pace.  Admin says the slower kids catch up, sure but at the expense of the rest of the kids not learning anything for several years. 
I heard of this charter school in DC where kids learn on their own via videos that they can pause and repeat if needed and have small group discussions with the teacher.  Sounds like that is the way to go.  Sorry OP, join the club[/quote]
My DC can multiply and divide and is in K. He is a regular kid who can read, write and speaks 3 languages. Are you sure yours is gifted?[/quote]

This. That doesn’t sound highly gifted. [/quote]

It was just an example of what he can do, he’s calculated things in his head that have blown my mind away. (I’m no math whiz but I at least took AP calc) But that’s not the point, I don’t care if he’s labeled or not it’s just my opinion.  Anyways the point is wouldn’t it be nice if we could springboard these kids who are advanced in K and keep that momentum going?  Yes there are many many bright kids out there, but why are they in classes with kids who don’t even know their letters?  I encouraged DC to read but I hardly had to teach, he picked up on his own so quickly like so many other bright kids.  I just wish that kids like that could start off school focusing on the skills they need instead of ones they’ve already mastered. [/quote]

I know for a fact that the vast majority of kids can learn to read and do simple math in preschool. I have seen schools do this. What’s interesting is that those kids are actually no better readers in 3rd or 6th or 9th grade than kids who learn to read in kindergarten. In England all kids read the year they turn 4. Those English kids are not better readers in secondary school. Because ultimately comprehension becomes the thing that determines reading ability not decoding. And that is developmental. The English school system just uses a slightly different timeline to teach reading. They start earlier but get to the same place.

As a parent you can also change the timeline slightly by enriching your kid’s education at home. Read to your kid a lot, point out words, introduce those phonics videos and apps, encourage letters and numbers, buy the right little books and games. It’s not hard if you are semi intelligent, have the time, have the motivation, and have the money.

But your kid isn’t highly gifted because he’s doing things earlier than all those kids who didn’t get that enrichment. (Also, your kid is in 4th grade now. Using something he did in kindergarten as an example of him being highly gifted is telling.)

It’s really silly to try and track kids at such a young age.

1. Because there’s no point. The kids who are just overly-enriched will hit developmental roadblocks like the kids in England. And the kids who are gifted don’t need to be tracked because their intelligence will be there just the same in middle school.

2. The kids who are learning letters in kindergarten are likely just as bright. Tracking kids this early does them a disservice.

Even gifted programs that start in 3rd or 4th grade are questionable, especially when the selection process favors kids who get the outside enrichment. The little research done shows that most these kids are not gifted by high school.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics