End of school year surprise.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I haven’t been around much lately. Busy, busy, you know. :wink: I hope you haven’t missed me too much. :rolleyes:

All year the first-grader has been complaining about the assignments in class being too boring. Her teacher mentioned that she is a “good reader” and that she might try and find her different books to read than the other kids and not to worry if she mentions this. I never heard anything else from this. I did hear from our daughter that she was helping the other kids in class with some assignments at the teacher’s request, but that she didn’t enjoy it very much. I didn’t think much of it. I thought that she was just doing fine with the regular class books and so hadn’t been given any others to read.

So she comes home from the last day of school with her report card. It’s all “O’s” which stands for “outstanding”. They don’t get real grades in first grade in her school. That wasn’t so surprising, because that’s what she received the 3rd quarter too. In the envelope is the test results to the standardized test that she took earlier in the Spring. The results on the parents’ sheet is in percentiles. Her score for science was 98% and her reading was 99% which is as high as the scale goes. It’s the last day of school. There is no one to talk to about this until August. The only thing I know is that she reads better than almost every other first-grader (going into second grade) that takes that test in this country. I’m sorry but that’s a little beyond “good reader”. I was a “good reader” and I think I read one or two grade levels above my age (depending on the subject matter). Here I was all year telling her that I understood what she meant by “boring” because I picked up on stuff fast in school too. I can’t tell you how many behavioral problems that happened this past school year that these scores explain. She kept telling me I wasn’t “listening” to what she meant. :frowning: I know that schools are more worried about the kids that are falling behind than the ones that are passing up the class. They almost lost the interest of this kid though.

So here we are, trying to figure out how to make her a happy reader for the summer. The day before I knew this we were choosing first and second grade level reading for her. Now I don’t know what I should do. Before Girl Scout camp was even over (it started right after school let out), she spent an evening at a dinosaur lecture for all ages at the library. She signed up for the summer reading program while she was there. She checked out 3 chapter books that I guessed to be about 3rd-4th grade reading level. I thought starting small would be best. It was past bedtime when we got home. She spent more than 12 hours at camp the next day. The day after that was house cleaning day and I kept finding chores for her. At about noon when we breaked for lunch and I asked how her reading was going. She had finished 1 1/2 books! I don’t know when she had time to read 1 1/2 books. The next day she finished the rest. I’m baffled; I’m befuddled.

Why wasn’t I told about this sooner when I could ask for some advice? Oh, well, at least she’s having fun now. Our biggest problem is finding books that don’t have too mature of subject. I taught her how to use the catalog at the library yesterday and that was helpful. I don’t know what else to do for her. I just feel completely inadequate, but want to get her interested in learning again before school starts in the fall.

2

What about books like The Hobbit? It is pretty advanced, but you could help her with anything she can’t work through, and she most likely would not bored. I think your child has a beautiful gift and I think she is very lucky. Good Luck to her.

3

Talk to the librarians. They should have copies of the ‘suggested summer reading list’ that the teachers set up (all the better to ensure that said books aren’t all checked-out), so you should be able to see what the third and fourth grade teachers are recommending.

If that doesn’t work, let me know. My mother teaches elementary school, I think third grade, but I’m not sure- I could ask her what books would be good.

4

You pretty much just described me in the first grade. They started sending me to first grade reading classes in Kindergarten, and once I hit 2nd grade they decided to skip me a grade. I always was in the top percentile in anything reading related, and I’m still an avid reader.

That said, I wouldn’t worry too much about your daughter. I never had a “reading list” or any such thing - I just had very frequent trips to the library. I was fully able to find books that I liked and that challenged me. The librarians were always a big help, too. If she enjoys reading - which she obviously does! - all you need to do is give her the opportunity. She’ll push herself. I used to come home from the library with about 15 books, and I’d be ready for another batch in (at most) a week.

I’m trying to think of favorites at that age. Chronicles of Narnia comes to mind. As does Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsinger series. Judy Bloom is good, too, although you may want to keep her away from the more mature themed ones.

The biggest problem I had during school was boredom, and yes, I got in trouble for that. Hell, I still have problems with boredom at work. Keep her busy! Buy her books! Take her to the library, and look into getting her into the “gifted” or “advanced” classes at her school. I would hesitate to say that skipping a grade was good - I went through a lot of trauma - but my experience may not be indicitive of everyone’s.

5

Congrats. I understand what you have been going through. Found it frustrating when the school would question whether my son could read. He read all the time, he just didn’t want to read the books they assigned. But they didn’t know how to deal with that.

One approach is to introduce your daughter to variious book series. Those are good because, if she likes one, she knows where to find several others that are similar. My daughter really liked the Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House” series. She also liked the American Girls books, which aren’t all that bad. Other popular ones were “The Babysitters Club.” My youngest daughter loved Mr Popper’s Penguins a couple of years ago when she was your daughter’s age.

The other approach is to find a topic that interests her, and then exhaust the library. For example, my son went through snakes and spiders, and then WW II. Now he is reading the “Animorphs” series.

Also, just because she is a great reader, don’t stop reading to her. And you can pick more challenging titles like “Wind in the Willows,” Tolkein, A.A. Milne, the Harry Potter Books, etc.

Let me know if you want more suggestions. I’ll ask my kids about specific authors. I think Beverly Cleary writes a lot of books my kids enjoy. And I remember something about a sideways school or something. Oh well, I’m rambling.

Congrats on your little genius.

6

Teaching her to use the catalog at the library was the best thing you could do. I was a very advanced reader and got my first library card when I was three. It was common for me to go through several books a day, from early years till late teens. I still remember the day in about fourth grade when my class took a field trip to the library and got a thorough grounding in how to use the resources. This was back when there were actual pieces of furniture with drawers full of cards - yes, a real card catalog (70’s). We also learned about the Reader’s Guide to Periodicals and all the other research tools. From that point on there was no stopping me. I know that many of the library’s resources are computerized now, like the card catalog and some online-references (separate from internet resources), but some things (like the periodicals guide) are still big hardback books with pages, and when the time is right, you will want to make sure she is acquainted with these. If your daughter has the library familiarity to find her way around, the library will be her best friend and she won’t need much help from you in finding appropriate or interesting things to read. The desire to know is self-perpetuating and undeniable.

Be prepared to have her underchallenged and bored at least some of the time for the rest of her school career (since you’re right in thinking that the school isn’t nearly as worried about kids who are doing too well), unless you opt for something radical like college at an early age. I was offered, or, more accurately, my parents were offered, the chance to send me to college instead of junior high school, which they declined after some reflection because they were not sure such a leap would be emotionally healthy. So I continued on to junior high and high school like anyone else (although I did go to an advanced residential high school for two years), which I don’t think was a wrong decision. School was mostly boring to me, but I read voraciously during class (which teachers hate) and so was learning all day every day anyway. It’s great to give her the chance to do things like camp and other activities if she enjoys it, but don’t feel that you have to be challenging and stimulating her every minute of every day. It will happen on its own, so be willing to allow her the space to follow her own interests and take things at her own pace, however fast or slow. It’s natural to want to protect your child from things that are “too mature” for her age (and I don’t mean genuinely inappropriate things, obviously), but if you have an advanced child, she will get restless with supposedly age-appropriate books pretty quickly. Keep an eye on things and perhaps have discussions with her about what she reads, but don’t get too controlling about it. For a while when I got books on philosophy from the library, I actually had to lock them in my jewelry box to hide them because my parents thought they were too mature for me. That’s kinda dumb. Stay involved, but give her some slack as well.

You’ll have lots of challenges with an a gifted child in the years ahead, but it will be fun too.

7

If your daughter is anything like me (and most avid readers) she won’t have any trouble choosing books. My mom just explained to me that I could choose anything I was interested in from the library… but that because I read better then many kids my age, some books that look interesting may be inappropriate for my age. Basically… I came home with whatever I liked… but my mom held veto power, and conficated any books she didn’t think were appropriate. She wasn’t harsh about… and she always told me why… and looking back, she was right.

If she does have trouble choosing books, try recommending things you liked as a child (don’t be too stuck on the ‘grade level’ thing… worry more about content that may not be age appropriate)… when you run out of those… a different task is to have your daughter as an older person (grandparent neighbor etc) what types of books he/she read as a child. Let your daughter read those books… and some non-fiction background material (there are lots of great kid sources) on the time period in which you or said older person was a child… it’s really neat sometimes to be able to place books within the context they were originally popular.

Also a good choice are books on world culture ones written for kids are often packed with informaiton as well as other types of projects or activities that your daughter may enjoy. there are several good series… written for different age groups.

mostly, i would wait until she asks for help choosing books… let her read everything that looks interesting to her first.

8

All good posts on the library!

Also, when school starts, PLEASE don’t ask the teachers what they’ll do to keep her from getting bored. Teachers get quite offended if you suggest that ANY child will be bored by their class. More accurately, ask them how they can help her with her (probable) frustration. Frustration is a problem to be solved, and isn’t seen as much as a smack. Also, deal with issues of PACE, DEPTH, and COMPLEXITY as much as level. She’ll run through the usual content much faster, and if given the chance, can eat up more depth of content than other kids. If the teacher has a planned series of topics, see if you can get a heads-up on them, so you can help plan for some complexity, additional research and reading, additional or more complex projects, etc. Discuss implications of what she learns in class, and ask her to relate it to other topics she knows about (like, if they do a section on Native American cultures, tie it in to politics, economics, history, geography, racism, etc., etc.).

You also would do well to teach her how to bring up new info with the teacher without making the teacher look like an idiot. (less important THIS year, more important later) Funny, whenever I suggested that a teacher’s education was WAY out of date, or they had their facts wrong, I seldom got called on again. (took me to high school to figure that one out - okay, you can call me a dunce if you want!)

Exceptionally bright students thrive more on complexity than ‘grade level’ per se though higher grades tend to go more into the complexity. Expect to get into some really really cool conversations in the next few years!

Another thought - I was given a free ticket to the library in my elementary school. Basically, If I could demonstarte to the teachers that I knew the content they were teaching that day, and had finished my classwork, I could run to the library for the remainder of the class. Talk about incentive to finish my work!! (they should have done that with homework, too)

There are a variety of creative solutions that don’t involve grade-skipping, though honestly, I don’t know ANYONE who had all their K-12 years be non-traumatic. I started K at 4, and while at times I was miserable, at times so was everyone else. If skipping seems the best solution, go for it.

Congrats, and enjoy the ride! I know it can be kind of a shock to discover this. Advice from a teacher friend - trust yourself to be a good advocate for your child, trust the teacher to be a good advocate for her classroom, and always assume you can work as a team. (at least until proven otherwise)

9

I think sending her to the library is the best thing you can do. My memories of summer always include the weekly visit to the Shreveport Library, and checking out the maximum number of books possible. They used to have those reading contests for kids; you know, the ones where you got a sticker for every book you read. By July I had to have a second page to hold all the stickers. Man, I adults still got the summers off.

Don’t worry about your child getting too mature a book. If it’s too old for her reading level, she’ll get bored and go on to the next one.

10

She could help, IIRC her kids are hella smart. (after meeting the parents, I understand why. :slight_smile: )

Fun story, my mom taught pre-school. She had a mother come to her hysterical one day. Aparently the mother and 4 year old daughter went to the library, and picked out a book. As they were driving home (it’s a long drive) the mother noticed the daugher was really quiet. “So we’ll get started on that book when we get home, huh Molly?” said the mom. Pause. “Sure,” says Molly, “But do you mind if we start on chapter 3? That’s how far I’ve gotten.” The kid taught herself to read, and NEVER TOLD ANYONE. The mother drove the car off the road.

I say let her pick out what books she wants, and keep tabs on what level she seems to enjoy the most. I was reading at a 4th grade level in the 1st grade, and that ratio stayed pretty consistant, 7th grade level in the third grade, etc. My one recommendation is to stop the teachers from having your daugher “help” the other students against her will. Some people like to teach. Some would much rather be in the library reading. Good luck, and keep us informed.

11

spent most of my summers as a kid in the library, my sister too, we both read about 3 or 4 books a week for novels in addition to our chores and studies. My sister being the genius she is reads about 1 or 2 a day now. Novels. I was always interested in Tolkien, Peirs Anthony for the mindless but entertaining stuff, Milne, and all the philosophy books i could get my hands on, though they were hard for me to understand at first. i struggled. my sister was very much into Bloom, McCaffrey(sp?) dragons of pern series, she ate up the babysitter stuff in 2 days, the whole series. There are other kids like that out there, so maybe if you talk to some parents, or find anyone in your area like that through the net, your kids could hook up and hang, even discuss things together, i sure wish i had some more intelligent friends as a kid instead of just hanging with my sister. not i don’t get along with her, i just like variety, and well, she’s my sister.

12

I was well past grade level in reading ability as a child as well. My folks were pretty good at not dictating what I read but most of my teachers weren’t. Everyone needs to relax with a trashy novel now and again :wink: and it helps to have teachers that don’t freak out over a gifted student who doesn’t always want to read Proust or whatever.

–tygre

13

Your daughter sounds very much like me at her age. I second what everyone has said about her choosing her own books.

However, I have a slightly tangential “warning” of sorts to add. Just because she loves to read, is bored etc. does not necessarily mean that she wants to be challenged with all manner of goofy “projects.”

When I was in school, I read many grade levels ahead of my classmates, got very bored in class, talked to neighbors too much because I didn’t have anything else to do. My school had a Special Ed program that was mainly for slow kids but they teacher had also (supposedly) had training for dealing with gifted children also. I had to see her everyday during my class’s “reading comprehension” time. She came up with the most ridiculous, grown-ups-think-kids-will-enjoy-but-kids-think-it’s-stupid projects for me to do. (“Design what kinds of clothes you would take with you if you had travelled with Columbus”, “Make up a new sport and write down all the rules, what kinds of uniforms, what tools” etc. I hated this. I just wanted to read. I wanted to be able to go to the library, pick out a book, and read it.

Your daughter is a very smart girl–ask her what she would rather be doing instead of being bored during a certain period. Unless it is something like manually castrating goats, see if you can work it out. Teachers don’t want her to be bored any more than you do.

14

My daughter just finished first grade and is also an avid reader, but she doesn’t seem interested in the usual kid stuff. (She did like Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books, but she’s read them all) She discovered James Herriot, and those are her favorites right now. There is the occasional bad word, but she hears those now and then IRL anyway. I would love to know how to get this kind of kid through school. My son was just like her, and he was bored and miserable and thought he knew more than all his teachers, and he barely graduated. (He is making up for it now, and will graduate soon from Georgia Tech, but he could have gotten a scholarship anywhere if he had been able to maintain the slightest interest) I have my daughter in a private school where they seem very interested in each child’s abilities and talents. Beyond that, I’m not sure what else to do.

15

I would also suggest that you read the paper with your child. The average newspaper is written at an 8th grade level, so that won’t be much of a problem. Besides, it will improve her vocabulary and knowledge of the world. At the very least, you should be able to talk to her about current events, national politics, etc. She might just get a kick from reading the funnies, too.

16

I will take it all into account. I’m going to have to print this thread though because I won’t be able to remember everything by this fall. I was just wondering how to get through the summer. :slight_smile: I will definitely try and help her let it be known if she does or does not want to help other kids with their work. I will try to avoid the word “bored” when talking to teachers and try to teach her better words for her feelings.

red_dragon, we have always read the funnies to her. She started reading them herself, if she’s interested, when she started learning to decode in Kindergarten. So many comic strips have jokes that are way over her head. I love to see when she gets one. One strip that sticks out was a Ziggy where there are peas all over the place and he’s saying, “I said PEACE on earth.” She laughed for days about that.

The real news is another story because it’s so scary. Am I being overprotective? This weekend we were busy and didn’t see any news coverage. Then Sunday evening I was reading the paper and on the front page they were talking about shots that were fired at our major league baseball stadium. It made me sick to my stomach. She’s going to go to a game next month with the Girl Scouts. I don’t want her to be afraid to go. On the other hand she’s not a baby. She should decide for herself if she wants to go after having all of the facts presented to her. Ok, fine. Maybe you’re right.

17

God, I wish I had parents like you guys! :frowning:

Anyway - SoMoMom, it’s wonderful you have such a bright child! With patience and care she’ll become a wonderful person. I don’t have much to add to what’s been said before, except for this: keep an eye out as to what’s going on for activities in the area around you - museums, concerts, that sort of thing. Find out what she thinks sounds interesting and take her there. If whatever she encounters strikes her fancy help her find books about it - an unbeatable combination.

18

Another vote for “take her to the library and let her pick out what she wants”. Make it a regular event, weekly or even more often if you have to. If you try to keep up with a bright, young, eager-to-read mind by buying books, you’ll go bankrupt very quickly.

Reading was always one of my greatest pleasures growing up. I can remember being able to read at age 2, and I was unstoppable. In all the grade-school reading assignments/projects, I got to use those nice barely-used practically-new books and materials. And, about once a week, Mom would take me to the library in town and let me pick up a stack of books. Kept me alive, I tell you what.

The Hobbit is a good suggestion, although perhaps a year or two ahead of her, and odds are she’ll love Little House even more. There are plenty of other serial-books to keep her busy; don’t dismiss the older stuff, like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Those are staples.

19

I’m surprised that nobody’s mentioned the Anne of Green Gables series. I learned to read at about 3 (I don’t remember not being able to) and by about age 7-8 I was devouring the Anne books. They’re really fun, especially for a little girl.

I’m not sure if they still make these (I think I saw the other day that they’re bringing them back!) but I also loved any kind of Choose Your Own Adventure book. If they still make the Lone Wolf series, I read TONS of those when I was 7. They’re a slightly more difficult version of CYOA, kinda like a cross between those and Dungeons and Dragons. If she’s a girly-girl, though, she might not like them. I’m sure nowadays (eek) they make stuff like that with a bit more feminine slant. If they don’t, someone should. Maybe I’ll do it.

I also ended up skipping fourth grade. It kinda sucked, because at the same time, I went to three different schools for fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. Not sure which one had the more detrimental effect on my social life, but by the time I hit high school, things weren’t so bad anymore. I guess that’s pretty much normal. Thing is, it never really helped my boredom problem, and I doubt it will for your little girl, either. When you’re scoring 99th percentile on standardized tests, you’ll still be doing damn well with kids a year older. Except for one high school physics course my senior year, it took until college before I felt really challenged by anything academic.

So I guess, if I was the one making the choice, I wouldn’t skip a child of mine if the option were available. I’d explain to the kid, who is obviously smart enough to understand, that sometimes school might seem a little boring, but they still had to get through it and it WILL get better. Then after school, you supplement the work. Make sure you know their curriculum. Take the child to science museums, art museums, historical sites. Make what she’s learning in school come alive. Go out of town if you have to. And make sure you put her in some sort of extracurricular lessons to give her an outlet for her frustration. If they’re private lessons of some sort, she can go at her own pace for once.

20

Wow, Drain, you’re the first person I’ve talked to who’s also skipped a grade, and is now not quite sure it was the right thing to do.

In addition to skipping third grade, my family moved and I switched from a fairly large public school to a very small (11 kids in my class) Catholic school. Looking back, it was extremely hard on me. I remember hating getting up to go to school, crying a lot, etc. I remember getting an F on a math test (I had never gotten anything other than an A) because it was on the multiplication tables, and I hadn’t learned them because I skipped 3rd grade. Major trauma. I would definitely think twice before having my child skip a grade. Yes, it got sorted out, but really not until 8th or 9th grade.

It’s a big step, taking a kid at that age and skipping a grade. All of a sudden I’m surrounded by girls who are entering sexual maturity (ie, looking at boys, wanting to socialize with boys, reading “Teen” magazine, etc) and I’m still thrilled to be getting a doll house for my 8th birthday.