School ?

[186momx]

When do your schools tend to stop reviewing and move onto grade level work?  

DD is bored out of her mind at school (2nd grade young 7).  She keeps asking the teacher about different subjects/topics and her teacher seems to be blowing her off by saying later.  Yesterday DD asked her when they would be learning angles.  DD said her teacher looked at her like she grew an extra head and didn't answer her question.  Aftercare is starting to worry about DD because she is spewing negativity and disgust for school in general while at homework club and that she is actively trying to switch homework with the 4th and 5th graders.  Last night to get DD to finish her 3 problems of circle the even/odd groupings of math homework I had to bribe her with writing out a page of multiplication problems and a page of triple digit addition problems which she happily did after fighting for 15 minutes over the even/odd stuff.  


Last year her 1st grade teacher let her be outside the box and if she was interested found something and let her try it.  So far this year's teacher isn't open to that.  Who would you talk to about this?  DD and I have told the teacher she is bored and we've been told we are reviewing still wait a few more weeks.   Everyone I've talked to tells me to let her learn whatever at home and just have her mark time in class which sounds extremely painful to me.

[mommyatty]

So they are spending half the year reviewing last year’s material? That seems excessive. DD spent maybe the first 4-6 weeks reviewing and have been working on new stuff since then.

Have you had her tested? Should she be skipping a grade? My school tried to get my parents to let me skip a grade and they refused because their BFFs had a daughter my age who was too immature to skip and they wanted us to stay together. As a result, I got verrrry lazy about school and started giving a rip and working hard in law school. Before that, I coasted, even through undergrad. Don’t make your kid be bored. It is terrible for them.

[waverly]

We already stopped reviewing. They started mid August. They probably reviewed for maybe 3 weeks. We are already on unit 3 or 4 in our new math curriculum. It is not my favorite curriculum but it is challenging to my just turned 8 year old in 2nd grade. His math scores were in the 90's percentile wise, and then dipped down to maybe 85% which I am taking to mean that he is being challenged and that what happened before was what came to him naturally. It is honestly taking some getting used to the new math curriculum, as it is very regimented as in a specific word means a specific way to do things, and he has to figure that out himself which is hard because his personality is a bit oblivious. But it sounds way better than what is happening at your school.

[hocus2]

While teachers should be differentiating work for all students they aren't going to teach out of grade topics or switch the order of topics. They usually find more difficult material within the sub-topic they are covering. Our school generally has 4 levels for math and kids in the highest level are able to quickly finish their work and do on-line math which is more self-directed.

I would approach this with the teacher and see what she says. I don't know when you started school but we're into the new material here after a slow start in September.

I would also help your daughter to start seeing herself as a peer leader and mentor vs. hating the fact that work comes easy for her. There are many ways for a bright child to channel their energy in a classroom.

[vamoose]

Is the teacher open to you sending in your own supplementary workbooks for when your child finishes work? In my son’s class, the more advanced kids finish quickly and then mostly pull out chapter books and have a lot of opportunity to read. If your school uses a similar approach, then maybe you could send in self directed material for your daughter to work on when she completes her work.

My son’s teacher would definitely not have time to teach a separate topic to one student - there are a lot of students that need help and they seem to focus on getting everyone over a low hurdle rather than adjusting things for each kid.

The gifted program at our school starts in third grade. That may be something to consider in the future.

[186momx]

We are 6 weeks in. They have been adding to 10 for the last 6 weeks. Last year they had moved onto doing 2nd grade math by spring break and her teachers point was if the class was ready to move on then lets go forward.

To have DD tested she needs 2 teachers, the school counselor, and principle to all agree to the testing before they even bring it up with the district psych. I brought it up last year and her 1st grade teacher said she felt she could stimulate DD enough in class enough that she wouldn't need to go through the rigorous testing process. She also told me if she was tested as gifted in what subjects didn't really change anything for her day to day class settings.


hocus2, that sounds like our reading program. I think they have 6 small group reading groups so reading is broken up but math is all done as the whole class. We have back to school night tonight so will ask when they will be moving into true 2nd grade work and if I could get the math/reading curriculum for the school year. We don't have conferences until December.


mommyatty, my brother and sister coasted through school. I know all the mischief a bored kid can get into. It also makes you develop the worst study habits so when school does get harder you struggle 3 times more.

[hocus2]

Oct 9, 2018 15:42:09 GMT -5 vamoose said:

Is the teacher open to you sending in your own supplementary workbooks for when your child finishes work? In my son’s class, the more advanced kids finish quickly and then mostly pull out chapter books and have a lot of opportunity to read. If your school uses a similar approach, then maybe you could send in self directed material for your daughter to work on when she completes her work.

My son’s teacher would definitely not have time to teach a separate topic to one student - there are a lot of students that need help and they seem to focus on getting everyone over a low hurdle rather than adjusting things for each kid.

The gifted program at our school starts in third grade. That may be something to consider in the future.

   Pulling up the the kids who struggle is a often a major concern for teachers. There is a balance though and ideally a good teacher can find ways to keep students progressing. There are flexible groups that allow the teachers to work with kids at different levels. Our school has some on-line options (math, reading).

[waverly]

They are in 2nd grade, and don't start 2nd grade math until Spring break? Never mind, that was in first grade- I get it now. 

[mustardseed2007]

186momx, have you thought about something like Kumon or Mathnasium or something? I don't think those programs are really good for kids who need help, but for kids that are advanced, I think they could be really good.

[186momx]

mustardseed2007, I hadn't heard of those yet. I've looked into KNH Academy. Last year's teacher suggested I sign up for Teachers Pay Teachers and access their free/low cost work pages. Part of me is worried if I keep letting her get farther ahead at home that she is going to dislike school even more than she does now which isn't what I want either. I looked up angles and it isn't usually taught until 4th grade so no wonder her teacher looked at her like she was crazy.

[sandandsea]

I just asked Ds and they have moved on to grade level stuff (1st) and are probably 6 weeks in. They are in unit 3 of 1st grade math so they’ve been doing new stuff for a while. They also do some reading and math online programs where they move at their own pace.

[erinshelley21]

I would talk to the teacher and if that doesn't get you anywhere then the counselor or principal.

I wonder if they would let her sit through math in the 3rd or 4th grade class if testing out of a grade doesn't sound like the right approach. Maybe if she does 3rd grade match this year and if they find that her reading and grammar are where they need to be for a different grade level they will be more open to testing her for skipping a grade in a year or two.

Finding a way to make her time at school better would be my priority and not adding in extras outside of school. She has a lot of school years left to be feeling negatively towards it already.

[mommyatty]

hocus2- ugh to the peer leader or mentor. That was always my job, and I resented the @$:@ out of it. It’s not a kid’s job to teach other kids, and it sets the more advanced students up to be resented and the less advanced students to feel dumber than their peers.

Could they “flex” her up for math? Not sure if the schedules work out, but at the school where my BFF teaches, kids can flex up or down up to two grades for any subject. So a second grader who is able to do fourth grade math can stay with their peers for most things but go to a fourth grade classroom for math each day. Or a kid who is two grades behind in reading can flex down until they catch up to their class.

[xctsclrx]

186momx, I am sorry your DD is so frustrated I don't have any advice. It is heartbreaking to hear when a kid who is smart and loves learning hates school. Have you considered a private school to challenge her? I would be worried that it is only going to get worse for her.

mommyatty, I could not have said that better myself. I was always the helper and it sucked!

[waverly]

+3 to always being an academic leader and leader in other ways. I admit I started to take less initiative to lead because I had done it all the time. It taught me some skills but wasn't the best thing in the world.

[186momx]

Talked with her teacher last night at open house. DD has checked out. She isn't even completing in class work because she has the why bother attitude going on. We made a deal with her teacher if she would just do the work in class then the teacher can give her advance work to do either as homework or during the rest of class time. But with her not doing class work the teacher feels she is struggling and things are too difficult for her.

DD is already sitting next to the kid that can't sit still, talks all the time, writes on other kids stuff, invades personal space. DD has asked to move and her teacher told her no that she does a great job ignoring the kid and she is hoping that DD good behavior will rub off on her. DD is using this kid as her excuse for not doing the work and I told her if that was true she needed to ask to move so she wasn't distracted.

xctsclrx, DD would love to go to the private school a couple of her friends go to. I can't afford the tuition and don't have enough year round flexibility to do drop of and pick ups as it is a good 30 minutes from home and 30 from my office. I am seriously considering online school by 6th or 7th grade. We even have a couple charter schools here that only meet in school 2 days a week and do the rest by online but it is geared for 5th grade and up.

[xctsclrx]

Oct 10, 2018 12:09:20 GMT -5 186momx said:

DD is already sitting next to the kid that can't sit still, talks all the time, writes on other kids stuff, invades personal space. DD has asked to move and her teacher told her no that she does a great job ignoring the kid and she is hoping that DD good behavior will rub off on her.  

 UGH I hate this. It is so unfair to kids. Just because she can ignore it doesn't mean she should have to all the time. 

[waverly]

186momx, yup I am not a home school type mom at all. But with my background in education, I find it interesting. Besides the overly religious approach (which when I saw their magazine resources for example, were very biased and anti Muslim and were enraging to me), I find that more and more people are doing a home school co-op approach, and an education approach for their individual child. I have seen it where the child just takes one year off public school and do home school or do homeschool for lower grades and do classroom work for upper. That is what appeals to me is the flexibility. We have private schools here, and are doing fine with our public school, but it is good for my peace of mind to know there are options in case my child runs into a problem.

[waverly]

Oct 10, 2018 12:24:46 GMT -5 xctsclrx said:

Oct 10, 2018 12:09:20 GMT -5 186momx said:

DD is already sitting next to the kid that can't sit still, talks all the time, writes on other kids stuff, invades personal space. DD has asked to move and her teacher told her no that she does a great job ignoring the kid and she is hoping that DD good behavior will rub off on her.  

 UGH I hate this. It is so unfair to kids. Just because she can ignore it doesn't mean she should have to all the time. 

I was guilty of this because the other option was kids that fed off each other or fought, but I did try to change the seating chart often during the year to give them a break.  

[divanerd]

Son's school is t reviewing...In your case have discussion with curriculum person and discussion with teacher about her needs and testing out of course if possible.