I’m sorry about everyones experience with local gt classes. I was in gt and we had 4 days a week of regular school but every tuesday we would go to the gt classroom for the day and work on stuff. We learned logic and worked on solving logic puzzles well beyond our years, and we learned 9th grade algebra and basic functions on a graphing calculator(3rd grade). Then we studied philosophy and learned about Aristotle, Plato and, Socrates. We would work on these things and read books and decipher the meaning of the books. I remember presentations were made on the giver after we had read it. The class was truly helpful.
I wonder what it has turned into now as that was 10-6 years ago.
musicprnt - I’m in CT, and when we had a G&T program, it was a pull-out program. If I recall correctly it was 2 afternoons/week. By the time they eliminated the program, S1 was at a private HS, but his reaction was that if they didn’t have that program when he was still in our public school, he would’ve killed himself (I think he meant that for emphasis, not what he would’ve actually done).
We moved to our town when I was pregnant with S1 because of the reputation of its school system. What we discovered about the reality of that reputation when it came to G&T was disappointing. Individual teachers were more helpful than the school administration, but then it depended on which teachers he got.
Just chiming in to express my general unhappiness with pull-out G&T programs, if for no other reason than what it removes the children from. My oldest, we discovered when she took algebra, had completely missed order of operations because she’d missed regular grade-level math for her G&T classes, and a younger daughter didn’t get to go to art class either of the last two years because of the way the schedules overlapped. Neither one of these is a good outcome.
When my son was in kindergarten, he and two other children who could already read were pulled out of their regular class once a week for advanced reading instruction. What he missed was show and tell – one of the highlights of the week for his kindergarten class. He would come home from school and cry. He felt he was being punished for knowing how to read.
The pullout G and T programs vary, but from what I know of them they often reward academically strong achieving students, rather than really enrich gifted kids in any way (every school district is different). The other problem with the G and T pullout is that often it pulls the kids out of ‘non academic’ things they might enjoy doing, like art…more importantly, the pullout program often leaves the gifted kids in the regular academic classes, and they still face being in classes that don’t stimulate them. Almost all the gifted kids advocacy groups the last I checked basically say that the pullout programs in general don’t work and are more window dressing than a real solution.
I personally am not a fan of seperate G and T classrooms, where the gifted kids are segregated either, plus the other issue is that a kid may be advanced in math, and be pretty much in the middle on something like English, while entry to these programs is usually based on IQ tests along with some other factors, that doesn’t mean a gifted kid is going to be brilliant at everything. I would prefer it personally if the gifted kids were still included in the standard school population in classes but there was differentiation, but in most schools that would be considered the equivalent of advocating bolshevism at the Davos Economic forum, schools if anything are nothing more than a bureacratic model of efficiency.
Our D hated the pull out GT program and tearfully begged her principal to let her drop it because the GT teacher made all the kids cry every day, literally. Fortunately, the principal was able to counsel the teacher and got her to transfer to be someone else’s problem (she had tenure), but soured D on GT.
I’m a senior in high school and can’t speak on behalf of GT programs(my schools cut them), but I skipped Kindergarten and completed first grade at a private school. The next year I integrated into public schools and the principal was reluctant to let me continue on to second grade but after passing a test I was given the “okay”.
I’d say I was quiet and introverted in elem+middle school but I definitely made friends and my age didn’t seem to be a hindrance socially. The only problems I had with being a year younger than my friends occurred when I tried to join a sports team in middle school and toward the end of high school with driving. For a couple of months most of my friends had their licenses and were able to go out(I have an early birthday so it wasn’t a huge deal). I also had to ride the bus(40min ride) until I got my license which was a little annoying.
Now I only have the small problem of not being able to watch rated “R” movies with my friends, but I only have to wait one more month!
Academically speaking, I’d like to say I did pretty well so I didn’t have any issues there. I definitely got my fair share of leadership opportunities in high school, but I feel that being one of the oldest does help a bit.
Looking back, I’m glad my parents insisted on putting me a grade “ahead”. But that’s just my experience.
Haven’t read all this thread.
My son was in a pull-out GT program. The program was county-wide so kids from different schools would show up. The couple (wife was the teacher, husband in charge of gifted program) was phenomenal. Truly an enrichment program. I volunteered when I could just for the experiences. Teachers supported the kids who were in the program at the school he was attending.
OTOH–in the same program a few years earlier my neighbor pulled her kid out of the GT --not because it wasn’t good but her regular teachers did not support it at the school she was attending. Poor kid missed tests that the teachers wouldn’t let her take, make up missed assignments etc. TOTAL nonsense, very petty and worth fighting perhaps–but who has the time?
As to skipping grades–my D did a first-second grade combined class (new idea at the time) that I regret to this day.
In the end, she had essentially skipped first grade because every other first grader got pulled out of the program and I was too stupid to realize it. So she really did end up missing first grade She ended up in a class of 2nd graders. She was totally smart enough and did well BUT…SO much mundane knowledge is relayed to first graders–the days of the week for example. And you may think “my kid knows ALL that stuff !” But not always.
I know this thread is somewhat old, but I see many folks really know the issue and wanted to get your perspective and/or advice.
We skipped a grade with our DD in elementary school (started 2nd and graduated 3rd). She is now finishing 8th grade and going into HS in the fall. Academically she is at par/ahead of her peers, very mature and tall for her age so she doesn’t stand out (ok, she stands out because she is still taller than everyone else after skipping a grade) and socially it seems to be working out so far. I am getting a bit worried though that because she is younger than her peers, even though she looks very mature, she is still emotionally insecure and not ready to break free, be different, and lead, and it may in the end hurt her chances with the top colleges. Anyway - what’s done is done, and I don’t particularly regret this decision, but the bottom line there is nothing we can do at this point.
DS is 8 years younger (born in the fall soon after CA cutoff of Sep 3rd) and at least at the moment appears to be slower than his sister - or rather, just normal for his age - hasn’t learned to read at 3 like his sister, taking much longer to master English (we are trying to keep the native language for both of them), etc. However, we took him to the same preschool DD went to (affiliated with relatively inexpensive private ES that our daughter went to through 3rd grade) because it’s very nurturing and personalized and we thought he’d have an easier tie as a non-English speaker speaker. A year later, he is in preschool class and his teacher recommends going to Kindergarten next year because he’ll likely be bored in transitional K. Because he was born after the cutoff, his only option for a K would be this private ES rather than our local public ES. We planned to take our son to this private ES for the first few years anyway - they do a great job of instilling love for learning and build a foundation that IMHO is so much better than our public ES. But I also realize that we’ll essentially be skipping a year for him, too, and now I’m worried that it might not be such a great idea.
Ok, so here comes the question - I ran this idea by my DH and he loves it, but then he rarely disagrees with him, so I doubt his objectivity. In 4.5 years, after DD is off to college and DS finishes 3rd grade at the private ES, the three of us may be able to go off to Spain for a year. Part of the objective is to give DS an extra year to catch up to his peers emotionally so that he goes to grade 4 upon our return. In the meantime, DS can learn a new language, immerse himself in another culture (not sure how much an 8-year old would appreciate that), and yes, I just want to spend more time with him - as a working mom, I now feel how much I missed out with my DD. So what do you think of this plan - are there any downsides to taking a kid out of school for a year and fill it with some maybe non-mainstream homeschooling? Thanks in advance!
The elementary school moved my D into first grade two weeks into kindergarten. It was never much of a problem. She ended up graduating as valedictorian of her high school. I’m not sure it did her any good though. If we had it to do over again I don’t think we’d do it. The sports were often a bit off where she’d be on teams with kids a grade below her. I’m not sure I see the point.
I’m old, but… when I was young, I became somewhat friendly with a young faculty wife. Her H got a sabbatical. He was offered a chance to teach in Sweden. They had young kids. They held a family conference and explained the situation to the kids. "If dad takes this job, you’re going to miss a year of school at your current school. When you get back, you may end up a grade behind all of your friends now. But during that year, you’ll have a chance to learn Swedish. And your dad and I promise that we won’t get mad if you fail everything because you don’t understand Swedish. We just think it would be kind of cool —hey, that’s dated, but that was the idea :)–to take a year and just go live a different life in a different country, knowing that it’s just for a year…and we’ll come back to our old home and you’ll go back to your old school but maybe without getting any credit for that year. " Kids voted to go learn Swedish!
I’d put your S into school in Spain, if I were you. I’d give him the same pep talk my long ago friend gave her kids–we don’t care if you fail every subject if you learn Spanish.
All that said…you should probably start your own thread.
@typiCAmom - I like your plan and I would encourage it. I would also encourage you to spend maybe an hour a day while in Spain doing some math (lest he forget his math facts) and reading. Spend the rest of they doing interesting things and you’ll have a year that will never be forgotten.
PS. I homeschooled all 4 of my children all the way from preK to 12th grade. All went on to college. I can assure you that your plan is sound (assuming he does not spend his days in Spain in front of the TV all day!).
Have you been following the OP Sarah from the Rex Morgan comic strip? Apparently skipping first grade paid off. Sarah wrote a book for her local museum called “A Day at the Museum”. It was so great her “college education is already paid for” and “every museum shop in the country is buying it”. And the museum is throwing a reception in her honor. Rex can retire which is just as well since he doesn’t seem to be actually practicing any medicine anyway.
