Last year when my son was in Preschool his teacher told me that he was a really great reader (I already knew he was pretty good for his age), and started sending books home for him to read. They were special books that the schools use to help students learn to read. Also when she had the extra time she would try to work with him one on one during certain days to help him become even better. Well fast forward to last Friday. His Kindergarten teacher started sending home some of the same books. I got it out of his backpack and I knew it was going to be too easy for him. So I asked him to read it to me and he did in 5 seconds flat. When I took him to school the next morning I mentioned this to his teacher. I think she just thought I was being one of those moms who thought her child was a genius and didn't give it much thought. Well the next day she told me they were going to test him and see what his reading level actually was. I guess he finally got to read to her and she seen that mama was actually right in this instance. Well he tested at a 3rd grade 6 months reading level!! He is almost a 4th grade reader and he is only in Kindergarten! Talk about proud! When we got in the car I immediately called his daddy and told him. Then when we got home I called his two grand ma's and told them. I was grinning like an idiot the whole way home 
My jaws actually started hurting but I couldn't help it. He is such a blessing to me and his daddy already and we are super proud of him because he is our son anyway but I just wanted to share this with you guys! Thanks for reading!
That's great! I was at the school today and was talking to the churchs adminstrative assistant (private school) and she was saying how boys usually learn to read at a slower pace than girls...so that's esp. great for your son! I can see why you are so proud! Jodie
That's wonderful but be prepared for some problems, trust me I've been down this path. The school will start out being willing to do stuff and change their minds the next year, etc.
My oldest is in 3rd grade reading Lord of the Rings (he couldn't read when he started kindergarten) and we've had trouble with him goofing off because of boredom. The school has let him compact the curriculum for reading so that isn't really a problem but the SAT 10s at the end of first grade he did horribly (compared to what he should have) on because he wouldn't take the time to read the whole question, he knew them he just didn't want to do them because it was beneath him. Getting him the services he needs for reading is hard when he messes around on tests, currently he's about off the charts on oral words a minute.
He also doesn't relate well to the other kids all the time, they were all reading Junie B. Jones last year and he considers that way too easy for anything but reading to his brother.
I promise you that a child who is light years ahead of the others is something to be proud of but also something you will wish you didn't have at times. I've been trying to avoid teaching my youngest his letters since they don't need to know them before kindergarten here because I would love to have a child who is with the rest of the class. It hasn't been working because his brother thinks it's funny to teach him those AND his letter sounds. 
Do some research into what your state has down as far as laws for gifted or acclerated education and what policies your school has. There is alot of info about gifted children online too.
Congrats! I hope he keeps up his smart ways 
I agree with mbelgard, though. I was one of those little smarties (but with math, not reading). I decided that when I reached 3rd grade that I was too smart and they couldn't teach me anything and basically refused to go to school.. well, I was put into this little group of smart kids and we worked on things separately from the rest of the class. Just make sure your kid is in a good school system and the teachers are willing to work with him. Since he's only in kindergarten, you should be fine. It's more high school that you have to worry about the honors classes and programs that they have for the kids, but it is important at younger ages, too.
So I guess something to watch out for (possibly) is your son coming up with any reason at all not to go to school! I started saying that the teachers were mean to me (they weren't) and various things just so I didn't have to go. It didnt' work though!
Hm, I hope that didn't ruin your happy mood regarding your son at all. There are just a lot of various things concerning "gifted" students that people don't realize. I could probably write a book from all I've gone through and observed my peers go through. I drove my parents crazy, I know that... I just started grad school today to get my M.S. in Mathematics and no one in my family can even understand what I do! 
So I guess something to watch out for (possibly) is your son coming up with any reason at all not to go to school! I started saying that the teachers were mean to me (they weren't) and various things just so I didn't have to go. It didnt' work though!
Hm, I hope that didn't ruin your happy mood regarding your son at all. There are just a lot of various things concerning "gifted" students that people don't realize.
Yeah, watch out for that. I'm not a teacher and since my son couldn't read when he started I didn't think much of it in kindergarten when he started being able to read his story books. He had been put in the gifted program right away and was in the advanced reading group (the kids who didn't read but knew their letters) but a month before Christmas he started crying everyday about school. I thought he was having a problem with another child or something until right after Christmas when the school contacted me and wanted to put him with a group of advanced first graders who were half way through the year for reading.
And don't let us ruin your mood, I feel a mix of emotions every time I get a test score back. When at the begining of first they said he could decode like a 5th grader I bragged him up to my parents while complaining about how difficult it was at the same time. My mom is sympathetic since she went through it with us.
A little warning: Watch who you say stuff to. People can get funny about children like this.
What wonderful news, but I also have to agree with mbelgard and blmiller...there are problems that come with it. My DD was reading at a 6th grade level in 1st grade and DS learned to read when he was 3 (he's now in Kindergarten). We constantly have to ask the teachers to give them supplemental work to keep them interested. I was shocked to learn that the teachers ALREADY HAVE supplemental worksheets, and it's such a hassle to get them to use them!! Also, if your school system has a gifted/talented program, have him tested for that ASAP, those teachers know how to deal with these kinds of kids!
And CONGRATULATIONS!! I know you must be proud enough to burst!!
Gosh, how times have changed. I was an advanced reader, and on the second day of the second grade I got paddled b/c I told my teacher that the book in our reading group was too easy. Go figure!
Congratulations!
Gosh, how times have changed. I was an advanced reader, and on the second day of the second grade I got paddled b/c I told my teacher that the book in our reading group was too easy. Go figure!
Congratulations!
They haven't changed that much, now they just put them on Ritalin to keep them quiet if they aren't willing to work with them.
My niece just started kindergarten and is a pretty darn good reader......we did a summer reading program this summer through our public library and she had to read at least half the book herself to write it on the list (you get a free book to keep for every 20 library books you read).....anyway she ended up turning in7 lists......... thats 140 books in about 9 weeks! So far they haven't tested on reading levels...it will be interesting to see if they do.... but she has already told the teacher she was disappointed..........when were they going to get to the "real" work. (My Mom works at the school so the teacher told her).
I really dont think she is "gifted" well anymore than I think all children are gifted ya know.......but I think it totally depends on how much the child was worked with...and the nature of the child. My Mom said my sisters and I all read by kindergarten....so she really is doing what is normal in my fam.
I wanted to add though congrats on your son being such a good reader......... I absolutely love to read, and my DH hates it.... so far my son loves to be read to as much as my niece did, so I am HOPING he will love to read as much as I do.
I would be so proud!
.......but I think it totally depends on how much the child was worked with...
If only that was true. 
Then my son would be with the rest of the class. We don't work with our son and we never did, the most I did was teach him his letters (it took 10 days of hardly working at it when he was 3). I had a friend who did work with her kids ALOT and it drove her nuts when my son started school and learned to read so quickly because he outstripped her kids who had been reading longer. I have refused to teach my youngest his letters but he knows most anyway and can now figure out what letter words start with (I'm a little mad at the oldest about that), I know the minimum he needs for kindergarten and that's all I'm willing to do with him.
Every child has their talents but I think that there are some kids who are academically "gifted" for lack of a better term that learn much quicker than the other kids. Just like there are children who are naturally athletic or who need extra help because of learning disablities. My gifted child isn't good at sports and his fine motor skills aren't great.
Every child has their talents but I think that there are some kids who are academically "gifted" for lack of a better term that learn much quicker than the other kids. Just like there are children who are naturally athletic or who need extra help because of learning disablities.
I completely agree. I mean, I was doing math at the age of 4. Addition and Subtraction and such. My parents never actually taught me, I just sat down while they were working with one of my brothers and observed. No direct interaction with me, I just learned by watching. And most of the math I learned until I graduated high school I taught myself. I would get bored in class and do my homework, then work ahead in the book.
Social skills were lacking, though. I guess it isn't that I didn't have them, I just didn't care to talk to most of the people in my class. However, in 2nd grade, I stayed in from recess for a month or so to do math with a few other students. So, I was social for various reasons!
On a random note, does anyone want two little adorable kittens? Their current favorite activity is laying across math books and stealing pencils. 
OK there are certainly exceptions to the rule, however I still feel like for MOST children being worked with and encouraged to learn is an invaluable tool. My DH was an elementary school teacher in a poor part of town when I met him..........90% of those children couldn't even read AT GRADE LEVEL.......I dont think its because the "gifted" gene missed over this whole population of people, yeah some kids were drug babies and are going to have a hard time, but for the most part these kids were POOR, with Mothers or Fathers who worked so many hours they couldnt possibly work with their kids properly (and some probably chose not too even if they did have the time)......
My point, is that by all rights they should have had just as high a population of "gifted" students and they did not (if you believe a truly gifted child needs little or no one to work with them).
mkerton,
I wasn't saying that working with a child doesn't help tremendously. It does, I know this. I'm a math tutor. If I thought it did no good, I wouldn't do it. As for the "gifted" population in poor areas where the parents aren't there for the kids, it could just be a matter of motivation. They could be lacking it from having little parental support in their academic lives. PLUS being smart is NOT looked at as a good thing by peers. Believe me, I know this first hand. You get outcast in a sense, but friends are still to be found. Typically kids in the same situation on the same level. So since those kids might not have the parental support, they will have to find it elsewhere, and that might just be from their peers. Why risk being rejected from your potential support group?
Of course, there is the other side of the spectrum of parental support. It's where the parents think they are being helpful by setting goals and guidelines and such. I had a few friends who had breakdowns because, even though they were getting a 3.8 grade point average, it still wasn't good enough. They needed that 4.0 to be considered smart enough, to prove to themselves and their parents.
So... I guess my point is, I still stick with my original statement that some kids are just naturally "gifted" when it comes to academics. This is obvious in any field of study. But, going with psychology, it's not just nature that decides how and if they will use their "gift". Nurture plays a part in it.
I have refused to teach my youngest his letters but he knows most anyway and can now figure out what letter words start with (I'm a little mad at the oldest about that), I know the minimum he needs for kindergarten and that's all I'm willing to do with him.
I had the same plan...I could tell early on that mine were advanced, so I refused to attempt to teach DD to read before school. My DH learned to read very early on, and had horror stories about being stuck in the library because the school didn't know what to do with him. DD learned in one week in Kindergarten and took off reading. Similarly, I refused to teach DS anything (other than letters and numbers, which he picked up on his own) but big sis taught him reading and simple math before he got to PreK, so now he hates Kindergarten. She's the only kid I've ever seen who tried to get her 4 year old brother to do her 2nd grade math homework for her!! 
And he's freaking me out a little by asking for Sudoku puzzles in Kindergarten! But, I figure they've been given these intellectual gifts for a reason, so we encourage them at home and try to make up for what the schools lack and challege them in fun ways.
I have refused to teach my youngest his letters but he knows most anyway and can now figure out what letter words start with (I'm a little mad at the oldest about that), I know the minimum he needs for kindergarten and that's all I'm willing to do with him.
I had the same plan...I could tell early on that mine were advanced, so I refused to attempt to teach DD to read before school. My DH learned to read very early on, and had horror stories about being stuck in the library because the school didn't know what to do with him. DD learned in one week in Kindergarten and took off reading. Similarly, I refused to teach DS anything (other than letters and numbers, which he picked up on his own) but big sis taught him reading and simple math before he got to PreK, so now he hates Kindergarten. She's the only kid I've ever seen who tried to get her 4 year old brother to do her 2nd grade math homework for her!! And he's freaking me out a little by asking for Sudoku puzzles in Kindergarten! But, I figure they've been given these intellectual gifts for a reason, so we encourage them at home and try to make up for what the schools lack and challege them in fun ways.
Oh my, now I am terrified that he will get bored and start acting out. I've already made up my mind if his school dosen't challenge him enough then I will move him from the county school system to the city schools system. The only reason DH and I didn't want to send him there in the first place is that he went to preschool in the county school system and he really wanted to go to Kindergarten with all his friends and plus we have no reason to doubt his school's abilities yet. I haven't heard bad things about his school so for now he is there. Fortunately, I have heard some pretty good things about the city school system so I am glad to be able to fall back on that. I guess there is always some disadvantages that go along with everything but for the moment I am "one proud mama!" 
Don't be terrified, be prepared. Do your research, keep any copies of assessments and test scores, be aware of what your child is going to need. I keep track of the books my child has read that are well above grade level and I know when he read them.
If your school system is large make sure that you bring in what you can to the teachers on the first day of school. My son's school has 120 kids in each grade and the teachers often haven't had time to look at each child's records before the start of school or to talk to their teachers from last year. The teachers were glad that I had info for them this year and one told me that it's best to keep track of all his stuff.
If you want to do learning type stuff with him I would recommend learning about things they don't cover at school. We research animals, learn about Egyptian mummification practices, etc. Stuff that they don't do in school so I'm not advancing him anymore but that is educational, no reading or math. This was what my mother told me to do, she raised several children who were like this so she has experience.
Be happy for him my son was reading at eighth grade level and doing sixth grade math in kindergarten. He is now in high school and still is a straight A student. His teachers at first suggested he skip some grades but I didn't want to do that. I told them to keep him challenged and busy. Sometimes he was in charge of helping another student learn something he already knew this taught him not all people learn the same way and he had to be patient to figure out how the other student could learn it, this made him really have to think outside the box a few times. He also was in a gifted program and sometimes he went to a different grade to join them for a special project they were doing. In sixth grade he did an accelerated math program where the whole class was working at different levels that way he could even work at the high school level without a problem. In high school he can challenge a class, and if he passes the test he can go on to a more advanced class or find something at the college level, there are so many college classes offered on computer and you can work on them in the classroom with the rest of the kids so you are still with your friends. We live in a very small town so you don't always have to find a big city school to get the best education. I think if you just keep up on things and know how he feels about everything you shouldn't have a problem. My son also does many other things Scouts, guitar, singing, saxophone, karate,volunteer work for the elderly, V.F.W., food kitchen and plays a lot of sports. It's good to get them up and out of the house or out of the school mode to let them know theres a big world out there and just because you are great at school there are a lot of other things to challenge you. Also if he wants real competition there are a lot of state and national competitions he can enter. Just make sure he is challenged but not overwhelmed. Oh and as far as socially the teachers always give me reports saying they wish all the students were as polite, and he has many many friends. Hope this doesn't sound like I am bragging but that has been my experience with my son anyway.So don't worry just enjoy it.
You know, I find that this is such a touchy subject...we want to (and have every right to) brag a little about our kids, but it's hard to find someone to talk to about it...even my sister is touchy about it because her daughter doesn't do so well in school. So at least in the context of this thread, let's not apologize for bragging a little! Our kids deserve to be bragged about!
Be proud of your little one and keep us updated on his progress! 
I know what you mean about it being a touchy subject sometimes I think the parents are worse to deal with. I work with a group of boys outside school. One of the boys is very ADD and his father was telling me how dumb the boy was. I got so upset with him I was trying to tell him everyone has there own talents. He was just going on telling me I couldn't understand because my son does everything perfect. Finally I took him over to a project we had completed, each boy had done their own. (It was a construction with wood) I told him to pick the worst and the best out of all of them. Then I pointed out
his son had done the best one and my son had done the worst. I told him that didn't make my son dumb it was just more challenging for him. The same boy had figured out an engineering problem that the rest of the boys couldn't. Did this impress his dad? Nope! It can be so frustrating.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%