is my child going to be behind?

Posted in

im afraid my son who is going into the gate class in the fall is going to be behind because his teacher this year refuses to challange him at all he comes home with kindergarten books to read for home work and when i talked to her about it she replied he should be reading what he enjoys. i agree he should enjoy what he reads but i think he should find/be given books at or just above his reading level i do it at home why cant she do it there with a library full of books i'd think it wouldnt be very hard. and he had multiple other teachers in pre k, and k who let him do whatever he wanted because he already knew what they were teaching even though i asked them all not to.

You must be a member of this group to post a reply.

Parent Replies to "is my child going to be behind? "

View 5 replies: Newest-Oldest, Oldest-Newest
Display fewer replies

In my experience, there are 2 types of GATE programs: enrichment and advanced curriculum. In an enrichment GATE program, the teachers do not cover the curriculum, but instead explore other topics. For example, students might do a unit on the brain and learning styles or they might do an independent study on a topic that interests them. In an "advanced curriculum" GATE program, the students study school topics, but at a higher grade level. So, for example, a 4th grade GATE student might be doing 5th grade math. In either case, your son will probably thoroughly enjoy his GATE classes, because he can learn at his level. I know my kids love their GATE classes best. (My 11-year-old's favorite subjects are GATE, PE and recess!) There are things the classroom teacher can do to help your son not be bored. For example, (s)he can get him to assist other (less quick) students. Research has shown that being able to complete an assignment well is good, but you really know that a child understands something if (s)he is able to teach it to another child/person. This makes sense, because in order to teach something you really need to "dissect" the process yourself. Your child's teacher can also help your child come up with activities to do during classtime when (s)he finishes his assignments earlier than the rest of the class.

i was asked by college professors if i had my son in Mensa when he was in K, yet I moved to AR and he made honors all year in 2nd and was tested for gifted and talented and they said he should remain in regular classes. when we lived in MD in 1st grade they put him into 2nd grade math. 3/4 through the year we moved to AR and they put him back in 1st grade math saying they don't do that here. my son is bored in class and I don't know what to do. I think he's going to be behind as well.

Thers more to reading that just being able to read, allowing him to read an easier book isn't all that bad. It can be a blessing, this way the students learns to read fluently and insuring comprehension. Its great hes above average but you dont want to turn him off either to reading. Allow for a little slack now and then, you'll be surprised later on.

A GATE program is used to children coming in from other classrooms - a GATE program should be directed toward enrichment and for enrichment, it doesn't matter what curriculum a child has had previously. Your son is gifted no matter if his teacher has allowed him to read easy books or not.

And from your description, your son is not only gifted but also very talented - not every gifted child reads well. Teachers can find it hard to individualize the curriculum for one or two very bright children in their class and the good news is that your son likes to read - even though he could be reading harder books that he does.
The GATE teacher will know better than his other teachers what to do with a gifted child and you'll see him coming home with more appropriate material for his abilities- that's why he's going into the GATE program. In the meantime, you've been giving him challenging books at home so he's had the best of both worlds - he reads for speed what he enjoys doing the day and is thoughtfully challenged by what he reads at night. He sounds very well-prepared for his GATE program to me.

NO. You seem to be a very involved parent. I used to tell my son that the learning began when I got home. HIs dad and I worked with him above the level he had to do at school. At first he refused to do the work becasue he said he had done it at home already. Just have your child do their work but you work with him at home.

Return to group discussion board >

Any contributed content above is the subjective opinion of that member or external author, and not of GreatSchools. GreatSchools does not check for accuracy in community posts or verify the contributor’s identity. If you are searching for health-related advice we strongly suggest you seek professional medical support. View our Community Guidelines for more details.

Los Angeles
Local Q&A Change City

Closes Early College High School a credited to the City of Pasadena can some one help me?

How does public school enrollment work in Los Angeles? What do parents need to know?

I need help locating a summer day camp for a soon to be first grader?

Ask a question about Los Angeles >

Local Q&A is brand new! What do you think? Give us your feedback in our feedback forum.

is my child going to be behind?

Parent Replies to "is my child going to be behind? "

Change City

Los AngelesLocal Q&A Change City

Los Angeles
Local Q&A Change City