Reply to smart, bored 2nd grader, can't afford private, what to do?

Forum Index » Schools and Education General Discussion

Reply to "smart, bored 2nd grader, can't afford private, what to do? "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous] I am not the previous poster but the solution is to groups kids together by level for math and reading classes.[/quote]

I'm not OP, but I do think it's funny that everyone is so incredulous that a kid might be bored in a classroom with no differentiation.  Do you really think it's so implausible that a kid might be too smart to be interested in the general offerings in a classroom?  Boredom just doesn't exist?  I agree that boredom shouldn't be an excuse for bad behavior, but it sure as heck can be a reason for lack of focus on the task at hand.  If the task at hand is something you've done already over and over and over again.  I was that kid in school, and I didn't have ADHD.  I was freakin' bored.  Until i got to a small private where the teacher could actually differentiate because the classroom size was very small.  I had to do the regular work, but she challenged me to do it as quickly as possible so I could get my logic puzzles.  In reading/writing, same thing -- she'd get the assignments the next grade was going and tell me I could have them after i did the regular work.  It didn't spoil me; it kept me interested in school.  I ended up being a very hard worker and a very high achieving student.
I know a lot of kids really do have ADHD.  But I do think it's a crime that when a smart kid is bored, we would rather conclude ADHD than give the kid some challenging work.  Like being ahead is a disorder.[/quote]

Boredom is one thing. But the OP seems to think her daughter is truly gifted and therefore above the rules of the classroom, yet she admits that she is not above grade level in math. I'm willing to bet that if her daughter were -truly- gifted, the teacher  and county would have figured out some sort of differentiation, whether it be extra worksheets, pull-outs, etc. Simply being an advanced reader and having already read through what the teacher is teaching doesn't have anything to do with comprehension - and doesn't mean she can disregard it.

Idk, OP's attitude kind of rubs me the wrong way. I was a bright kid and I was bored in class sometimes. But I always wanted to please my teacher and be a good listener. OP should be encouraging her daughter to seek out learning outside of the classroom, and to suck it up and follow the rules inside of it. As others have said, it's a good lesson for the rest of her life. You don't get to do whatever you want at work just because you're "bored." [/quote]

But OP didn't say she's above the rules of the classroom.  Later posters inferred that, because on DCUM anytime you say your kid is smart, people like to smack you down.   You don't believe a kid can be ahead verbally but not in math?  That seems odd.  Also, you all seem to believe that teachers all are great at differentiating and offering extra work.  Which OP said she specifically requested and the teacher said wasn't feasible.  In my experience in public school, it wasn't an option either, until you got to the later grades after the "gifted" program kicks in.  Also, what if OP's kid isn't "gifted"?  So what?  Doesn't mean she might not be ready for more challenging work in one or more area/s.
Yes, the kid has to behave, but why do we set them up to fail this way?  Make it as boring as possible and then blame them for not focusing?  Because we can't do any better in a large classroom, right? Not the kid's fault.[/quote]

First of all, of course I believe that a kid can be talented in reading and not math. I was the same way - in reading/writing GT (back when it was GT in FCPS), perfect score on verbal section of the SAT but mediocre score on the math section, etc. I was only pointing out that OP's child is simply above reading level, not that she's completely ready to skip ahead a grade or anything.

OP is looking for solutions. She doesn't live in a county that offers the level of differentiation she believes her child needs. So she can move or she can look into financial aid at privates, or she can take her issues higher up with the county to see what they can offer her child. However, assuming she stays at her public school, she needs to take more of a teamwork approach with her daughter's teacher. I did mention that OP thinks she is above the rules. I - and others - inferred that because she asked the teacher if her daughter could just read different books through the lessons for what the child has already read. Yes, that is acting as though "the rules" don't apply to you. What if every parent asked for their kid to be doing something different during the lessons they don't want to sit through? That's a mess for the teacher in terms of classroom management. 
[/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