It's KINDERGARTEN - not freshman year at Harvard!

not challenging?

K wasn't always a full day. I can't believe how much emphasis you put on the academics at 5.

These poor kids!

Are you referring to your own kids? My kids challenged at home because K was unchallenging (academically and intellectually) are now happy as larks. Feel free to begin academic and intellectual challenge when childhood is over and your kids are ready to go out into college or the work force. Poor kids!

Anonymous wrote:PP - great post. Not sure why people have to be so nasty on here sometimes. I find a lot of helpful information here though so I keep coming back.

I don't think its too much to ask for all children to be taught at an appropriate level regardless of whether where they started and whether or not they are gifted or not. My child was advanced (no idea if gifted or not and really don't care). K was completely unchallenging and created bad habits. Luckily there is a peer group up county in the same situation so at least we don't have that problem. And yes my child plays, gets dirty,etc We do no extra work at home other than homework. Sheesh.

It's KINDERGARTEN - not freshman year at Harvard!

not challenging?

K wasn't always a full day. I can't believe how much emphasis you put on the academics at 5.

These poor kids!

PP - great post. Not sure why people have to be so nasty on here sometimes. I find a lot of helpful information here though so I keep coming back.

I don't think its too much to ask for all children to be taught at an appropriate level regardless of whether where they started and whether or not they are gifted or not. My child was advanced (no idea if gifted or not and really don't care). K was completely unchallenging and created bad habits. Luckily there is a peer group up county in the same situation so at least we don't have that problem. And yes my child plays, gets dirty,etc We do no extra work at home other than homework. Sheesh.

OP: Back on topic to your question about TPES:

DS taught self to read at age 4 and was reading 2nd grade books and ahead in math as well (as shown first by playing Monopoly games where he'd mentally keep track of everyone's money through the whole game I don't think of him as exceptional -- he simply has what I call younger brother syndrome ("I can -- and will -- do anything big brother does.")

We found home school lacked peers for him. The approach there was that the other kids would catch him. He knew that he was ahead of the other kids, so it was just a bad situation all around.

TPES was a godsend for us b/c he's not DIFFERENT there. Same curriculum, but more differentiation and more kids doing more advanced work. We also are close geographically, so the commute isn't a big deal. We see a definite difference in writing expectations from our home school and TPES.

You'll need to decide for yourself whether your home school is working for your child.

RE: some of the discussion about kids being fine in a regular classroom even if they are ahead. We thought that of our older child. He didn't complain. He did all that his teachers asked. A model student. It wasn't until he switched schools to one where he was more challenged that we learned a few things:

1. He TOLD us after a couple of months in new school that he loved FINALLY learning something in math. He didn't feel like he learned anything the previous year.

2. A teacher this year has had to teach him and others in his class real learning habits. For instance, the kids would not be as careful as they needed to be on math questions because they were so used to not reading questions and going down to a line and answering. The kids had to learn the hard way to READ the full question and show their work. Apparently, according to teacher, this is a common issue with kids who have been bored. They learn they don't have to do all the steps to get the right answer.

Thank goodness for some good teachers and good schools who are willing to step in and deal with kids who simply need more, faster than the curriculum is willing to give.

This is so ridiculous. I know so many people in early intervention who will tell you that the benchmarks are BS at this stage.

The goal is to make systems look good by pushing kids ahead so that they're in honors, AP and IB courses.

So don't fool yourself into thinking your cherubs are gifted. By the time the kids are assessed, those who have come from disadvantaged homes will lag behind those who have experienced enrichment during their short lifetime b/c the Tiger Mom is in full force.

Leave your kids alone. They need to eat dirt, play in the grass, run around the yard, throw snowballs, beg for candy, and "earn" a few scars and bruises.

just amazing

12:33 here. I know ADHD is a neurological condition. I have it. It just makes me all the more aware of how learning how to follow structures and forming productive habits are vitally important. I don't know if my DD will one day be diagnosed, however, she is not learning how to operate academically within an academic environment, she is learning how to keep herself occupied during downtime in an academic environment. It may not be an issue in the future. I hope that is the case.

Also, like I said, my daughter is happy as a clam. She gets to draw and doodle half of the day. I'm more concerned about the habits and impressions she is forming related to what it means to be at school.

Give the "gifted" kids a DS, and they won't complain anymore. That's all they need.

Oh God. I hate the stupid argument this always devolves to.

Some kids need extra challenge early. If they don't get it, they may be bored, unhappy, frustrated, etc. Parents who watch for this and take action are doing a good thing.

Maybe the kid will always need acceleration and maybe they won't. Who cares? It's our job to make sure our kids have good educational experiences all along the way.

And lack of challenge doesn't create ADHD, which is what I assume PP is referring to. It's a neurological condition.

There is a big difference between gifted and being taught early.

Oh PP, this was our experience exactly! And then in first grade an attention issue revealed its ugly head. We seem to have been able to correct it partially, but I am sure the total lack of challenge last year had something to do with it.

The truly disappointing thing though is that the *good* and more dedicated teachers were actually teaching appropriate writing. Now my child is behind those kids in "Reading" since for my child writing remains a challenge.

DD was reading 2nd/3rd grade books before K and could compose basic words. She also understood basic concepts of fractions. On first math report teacher said she could only count to 27 and that she'd reached a stall point in reading because she didn't have the writing skills to express & match her reading comprehension. My issue, they didn't go ahead to try to teach her more appropriate (for her) writing skills, instead she just practiced letter formation. I get that her writing needs to improve as her motor skills emerge, but she can practice that skill answering simple questions or copying words, instead of just one letter over and over. Also, same with math. She can practice writing the number 6 as part of 16, 26, 36, etc, instead of just 6 repeated over and over again. I'm not claiming she's a genius. She's not. She's not going to college early, she's not going to win a chess tournament at 7. But she could have just as much fun as the other kids and she are having right now while still developing her skills. She's not bored because she loves drawing and so she draws a ton during the school day. It goes like this: complete non-challenging worksheet and then draw for the rest of the time she has to be at that center. And yes, I've been in the classroom and so has my husband so this is not based on reports from her.

And as an ADD adult, I agree with 12:13 and I'm worried she's developing a habit of not having to pay as much attention and doing whatever she wants to for a chink of her school day that will be a challeng to break in future years.

And I'm not a Tiger Mom. My kid just likes to learn and picks things up quickly,

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, I think most kids enter K in MCPS knowing their letters, numbers, simple math and early reading skils. They can't all be gifted. FWIW, my oldest entered K with those basic skills (taught in most pre-Ks these days) and ended up in the advanced math group (they didn't really have reading groups in K at that time). In first grade, he was still advanced in math and reading, although some of his peers were clearly way more advanced (I'm talking super-smarties) and they were pulled out for additional (more challenging) work. By second grade, it seems like most things level off and you have kids who will always struggle, kids who are solidly average, some slightly advanced, and then the really advanced smarties. At our school, everyone is challenged (even if they are struggling), b/c MCPS pushes kids. And I don't get the whole boredom thing. Have you volunteered in the class and observed what they do? There's really no downtime --- they work all day long. Is bored code for acting out? B/c that's another issue, and it has nothing to do with intellect.

Not always. A bored kid who's frustrated and has the typical level of impulse control for early elementary is a recipe for disaster. Believe me, I know this the hard way.

FWIW, I think most kids enter K in MCPS knowing their letters, numbers, simple math and early reading skils. They can't all be gifted. FWIW, my oldest entered K with those basic skills (taught in most pre-Ks these days) and ended up in the advanced math group (they didn't really have reading groups in K at that time). In first grade, he was still advanced in math and reading, although some of his peers were clearly way more advanced (I'm talking super-smarties) and they were pulled out for additional (more challenging) work. By second grade, it seems like most things level off and you have kids who will always struggle, kids who are solidly average, some slightly advanced, and then the really advanced smarties. At our school, everyone is challenged (even if they are struggling), b/c MCPS pushes kids. And I don't get the whole boredom thing. Have you volunteered in the class and observed what they do? There's really no downtime --- they work all day long. Is bored code for acting out? B/c that's another issue, and it has nothing to do with intellect.

I agree with 11:00..I saw it in our school which has partial immersion. Those kids are excluded from high math because it is not taught in Chinese. I guess that issue will fade since accelerated math seems to be fading.