It’s that time, for our first parent teacher conference. We’ve had downs, we’ve had ups. We want her more engaged, more challenged, and are going to ask for that. Because you don’t challenge someone who can read 4th grade books (or higher) by asking them to read Kindergarten books to other Kindergarteners. She can already speak in public very well, thank you. Sigh. Maybe there’s more to it than what it appears, but we’re just not seeing that they’re taking her intelligence/advanced learning seriously.
So we shall see.
We go in tomorrow and have 15 minutes to hear what the teacher has to say and say what we need to. There was already a flyer asking if we had concerns. Of course we do. We’re not entirely sure she should even be there. She’s learning to socialize with other kids her age, but when all that entails at this point is fart jokes and how to say rude words that we don’t teach her? Not so much in favor of that. So we’ll see. We’re trying to keep an open mind. We’re trying so hard… but it’s difficult when your kid comes home and says they learned nothing…
and you actually believe them.
Bummer.
We have preschool conferences coming up soon, and yeah, so far we know our son has been picked on by other kids and that they aren’t teaching him much at all. I don’t really know what to expect at conferences!
So how did it go? Are you now confident they’re going to tailor her education to suit her needs?
I know this is pushy, and I’m giving unsolicited advice to someone who didn’t ask, but I’ve been through this three times already. My so was a gifted student. My daughter born 9 years later is more gifted than he is. Now my son is making the same decisions about his son. You don’t have a lot of options and the best ones are pricey. You could leave things as they are and continue to challenge her at home. The pro is that your child is in an age appropriate environment. The con is that she won’t be challenged in school and that can cause behavior issues even if she isn’t having them now. Yo u could look for a private school that can take the time to challenge your child. The pro is the possibility that your child will be in both an age and intellectual appropriate environment and will be challenged. The con is that private schools that cater to advanced children are extremely expensive and not available everywhere. The third option is to home school. The obvious pro is that you know your child’s ability and can challenge her. The con is that it can be expensive and finding challenging age appropriate materials is difficult. It is especially difficult as she approaches middle school when intellectual ability is above that of most high functioning adults, but teaching materials aren’t geared for that level of learning.
It’s your decision and no one can make it for you. There is no guide to which is right or wrong. Just be sure that you feel confident in what you choose to do.