Skipping a grade - Page 2

[Hey Mama!]

I'm going to try to skip my dd straight into 1st grade next year. She is in a public pre-k right now but has mastered kindergarten work. We will be moving to a different state so it won't hinder her social abilities to enter 1st grade in a new school, since no one would know she skipped kindergarten, and she'd be in the same grade as her cousin who is only 3 months older then her. Dd's birthday is in Sept, so it's not a huge age gap. My dd shows signs of giftedness, so I think this move will help her more then hinder her.

[Maggie05]

Originally Posted by Suzannah

Maggie05, I hear what you're saying. It's a lot to know, do and put into practice. I feel the same way as you do; this is my 10th year, and I am considering moving on after it ends. I always said, even before I taught, that teachers should have to take a mandatory leave of absence every ten years to recharge, get training and decide what their next step is. I, too, would prefer to do things with my family when I am not at school, and I am not as prompt with returning work and grading, but in my curriculum design I feel like I owe it to every student in my class to work my bum off to make sure it meets everyone where they are. Until I'm not teaching anymore, I can't give up on that part.

And as an FYI, I have heard that Canada gives teachers a paid year off every seven years. Should've started out there!!

I have been teaching for 15 years and I LOVE it (the actual teaching part!) but I agree with all you say!

Oh my! A paid year off, would that be bliss! And so good for the STUDENTS, too!

[ecoteat]

I don't have time to read all the other responses, but being gifted IS special ed in some states. I had an IEP in school because I was labeled gifted, and my school had to meet my needs, just as much as if I had had a physical or learning disability. You should look into your state's special ed laws. You might have more rights than you think.

[A&A]

Yes, skip! I read that it's much easier to make friends with kids who are your mental age rather than merely your chronological age, and that made me feel better. Dd skipped first grade and it's been great. (Except that now she's going into middle school as a 10-year old......scary!)

And I agree that you should check out:

http://www.nationdeceived.org/

And there is a lot of federal protection/money for special ed services at the other end of the spectrum..........but not for gifted services. State money/services vary greatly.

[mom de terre]

Originally Posted by Suzannah

It is not easy, but once it is done a differentiated curriculum can work for many, many years. This teacher has also refused to meet with me after her work hours (but will meet with other parents) and has refused to give us different work for homework (until we got the principal involved).

This particular teacher sounds like a major drag (and there's really nothing worse than witnessing poor teaching when you are a teacher yourself). Is she a major factor in your decision to skip your daughter ahead? What do you know about the teachers she might have next year?

Speaking purely as an individual (because as a teacher I would never condone what I'm about to say), I'm glad that my elementary education wasn't very rigorous. Whipping through my math homework in ten minutes left me with plenty of time to pursue my own interests. It seems like we bury kids in homework these days at a detriment to creating independent learners. If your daughter has passions that can't be accommodated in the classroom, maybe she's benefiting from having some free time to pursue them.

For credibility's sake, I'll add that while my k-8 education was generally pathetic, I still scored 5s on three AP tests and was a NMS finalist. It really didn't matter. And I have never been contacted by a parent who felt my class wasn't challenging enough, while I have frequently been called on to explain why everyone can't be above average.