Like minded parents in Baltimore City- any experience dealing with giftedness and Baltimore City...

[MamaKyrikou]

Hi-

I am struggling with my son's current school (can't wait for his new one to open next year!). I am very frustrated with the attitude and lack of concern I am feeling from administration about my son who reads above the second grade level in Kindergarten. He complains that they are teaching him what he already knows. I met with the AP and three specialists today, who say they will SST him. This is after promises of differentiation galore, since the beginning of the school year. I am keeping a close tab on the situation.

Any thoughts or resources? Play groups?

Thanks!

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Fellow Baltimore Mama, here! We don't have an issue of a child who has special needs because of giftedness (quite the opposite, actually) but there are many gifted children in my DC's school. I do think it's something schools all over struggle with. 

Is your son bored in school or having behavioral issues? 

May I suggest you post in your tribal area and the gifted child forum? You may get some extra help in those specific forums. 

Good luck in your next school and I hope you see some improvement as the year progresses! 

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I'm also wondering if "learning something they already know" is par for the course in kindy - for all kids. Getting kids on the same page and up to speed on the huge variety of things they must learn to succeed in elementary school seems like something all kids will have some redundancy in. So for some it's language/reading, others it's behavior, others it's separation from home and others peer interactions, and on and on. Would it help to think if kindergarten as a time for your child to get up to speed on some other things? 

[MamaKyrikou]

Thanks- I am new to using online forums,including Mothering.  I will look for tribe and other forums. No behavioral issues, just him complaining that they are teaching him what he already knows- which they are!
 

[MamaKyrikou]

You may be right, at the conference, I had with the principal, she said that the first six weeks were teaching routines and behaviors primarily. However, when I raised my concern in the summer, she had said don't worry, there will be differentiated groups at the beginning of the year, and here we are in November, and it still has not happened. I had to flap my wings a bit, and now they have an enrichment specialist who is supposed to start working with his teacher. I am most disturbed by the lack of respect for parental concerns that has been the trademark of this particular administration....hopefully the wing-flapping has helped my son.

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Originally Posted by MamaKyrikou I am most disturbed by the lack of respect for parental concerns that has been the trademark of this particular administration....hopefully the wing-flapping has helped my son.

This would be a big red flag and I'm guessing that if you were feeling heard, you wouldn't be so concerned about the issue of your son learning something he already knows. Because, I do think that may be inevitable for an early reader in kindergarten. That said, I do certainly think it possible for all schools to provide adequate differentiation to meet the needs of their students. 

Does the school give you some guidance about how to best communicate with the administration/teachers and make space for positive interactions? I feel like a parent addressing this (or any) concern at my DC's school would be greeted with information and explanations or at the very least an acknowledgment that the school takes the parent's concerns seriously.  

I saw your other post and hope that the new charter you're working on will be a good fit for your DC. How exciting to be working on a new charter in the city!