School transfers

I don't offend easily and wear my big girl panties daily, so no problem

He is very well-rounded. We have done playdates since he was born and he has several kids his age in the neighborhood that he plays with almost daily. He goes outside as soon as he gets home and sometimes doesn't come in til dinner. He plays soccer and has since he was 4. He's also big into video games and loves nothing more than to build with legos and play with his Super Mario figurines. No social issues there, so no need to push any baby birds from the nest since he's already flying I think that a lot of people assume that if a child has a parent who wants them to be academically challenged, that we are raising nonsocial kids. Not true. The more well-rounded the better in our house.

As for filling in the gaps, I do that, but these are not just gaps. The way he is being taught is not TEACHING him, it's reviewing what he already knows. Every child deserves to learn something new in a school year, not just be afforded review and then told "he'll be fine" and then level out with the rest. What happened to wanting smart, challenged kids who will succeed in life and learn to push themselves to learn and be better? My tax dollars should speak for something and yeah, I get a bit miffed when MY child is not benefiting from them.

 

:hurray::grouphug:

 

So many factors come into play in situations like this and frankly, I don't think it's fair to question whether or not a parent is giving her little bird it's wings simply because she doesn't like what her school system is doing for her child.

I have been in her situation and that's one of the reasons I looked into other options. As I've stated to anyone that will listen, Neuse Charter School is far above and beyond the Johnston County school system. Finally my children are being taught and encouraged to learn, to grow in their education instead of waiting for everyone else to catch up. My children are both doing classwork above their peers and instead of being made to feel like outcasts, as was their experience in JC schools, they are being encouraged to keep aiming even higher.

I agree that as parents we need to expose our children to as much as possible. And asking that our education leaders provide as much as they can for our children isn't asking too much. I tell my children's teachers how much I appreciate them for the jobs they are doing. I admire them greatly. But that doesn't mean I want my child sitting in a corner reading for the majority of the day because they know the material being covered and their teacher doesn't know what else to do with them.

Other options? Homeschooling, of course. Co-op education groups, online school, looking into other public school systems (other counties), private shcools, charter schools. I knew after dealing with JC schools for five years that there was no way I could continue letting my children go to their schools and I was fortunate to get two of them into Neuse this year.

As for skipping grades, my big concern is the age gap and the maturity levels. This levels off as they get older but the difference between a 2nd grader and a 3rd grader is immense. So that's to consider along with the costs. Plus, there are ways to have children doing higher level work in their classrooms.

 

the classroom teacher plays a huge role in getting differentiated work to your child. We have been very lucky with our oldest. He has great teachers that appreciate his abilities and quirkiness. On the other hand, the younger one has issues and we had to get a lawyer to get his needs met.
We did get a transfer.

Good Luck!!!! Sorry you are going through this.

 

This county's school system has failed to keep up with the population growth over the past 25 years. Classrooms are overcrowded and teachers are caught up in the "do's and don'ts" given by the school system with little support from many parents. Many teachers are simply doing the best they can given the limited resources available. Years ago in an elementary school here, my child was not challenged academically. She was ignored when she knew the answers (only those who needed extra help were called upon in class to read out loud or answer questions} and she typically finished her classwork well ahead of the others and sat bored and idle. She wasn't the only one like this either. Simply put, while we worked with her at home to help her excel and learn, the teachers didn't have the time to do anything other than make sure the kids having problems could pass and be promoted to the next grade level. The end result was my child lost all self motivation and by the end of middle school, didn't care about her studies. In her young mind, nobody else cared. High school was a nightmare because of this. They kept telling us "she's smart and can easily do the work but just doesn't seem to want to". Young children eager to learn need to be encouraged by both the parent(s) and school system. In the dark ages (as my kids say) our teachers assigned work based on two or three ability levels. This was differentiated by subject and worked well. I did well in reading and writing so was given more challenging assignments and encouraged to push myself harder and harder. Math was very difficult for me and so I was given work that did not overly frustrate me and our "group" was given extra time to complete assignments and extra instruction time as needed. I wasn't made to feel "slow" or "dumb" but motivated to work harder and do as well as I could. All of this was done by one teacher in the classroom; we did not have assistant teachers. Given the common complaints I hear today about our area schools, I think it is the school system's responsibility to dedicate more resources to working with children of all ability levels.

 

Here we go again...

No, the school is not required to give extra work or even advanced work unless your child has been identified as AIG. You do not mention that here.

Has he been tested and accepted into the AIG program/curriculum?

True, there is no AIG Center anymore - but there are clusers within the classroom which would result in being paired up with the brighter students and having extra or advanced work.

Being involved in AIG does open up other opportunites for admission into programs such as Duke TIP (if you like to drive to Durham). But honestly, you can supplement your child's education at home with educational "field trips" on the weekends, assigning your own extra homework using resources on the internet, finding educational clubs or contests, encouraging reading, etc.

It is doubtful you will get a transfer based on what you have posted here - educational need would be more like they are NOT getting the basics - not that they are getting bored without enough busy work to keep them occupied.

As others have suggested, homeschooling or private schooling are your only other options. The public school system in America is not in the business of cultivating geniuses, this ain't Japan lol

 

i transferred my daughter out of West Johnston over to Cleveland, best move i ever made.

 

I'm new, so that "here we go again" is falling on deaf ears. I DID take the time to do a search to read the topics on the search words I put in, but felt there wasn't anything current to answer what I was asking. So sorry you feel this is repetitive. I've learned on other message boards to just ignore the repeat post rather than respond with an attitude.

No, it's not Japan because of that very attitude. When people take that kind of stance, the US will never be producing the smarter kids in droves. We have the children with the minds capable of being leaders, but our school systems sit idle when it comes to pushing those kids to excel as they should. The "they can do more at home" or "they'll be fine" attitude gravely harms these brighter kids and leads to the attitudes another poster referred to where these kids are the ones that learn they don't have to push themselves because nobody cares in the classroom if they do or not, just as long as they get the work done. Sad, sad opinion to have.

As for AIG, my child is in 1st grade, so no we have not been offered AIG testing and have 2 more years before that will happen so it's up to the teachers and myself to push him til then. What I'm asking is that the teachers help me in that venture rather than refuse to teach him at a higher level.

 

You have a really long road ahead of you with the public schools. Based on my experience teaching in the JC school system and as a parent of 2 high school age kids in JCS, you will either need to supplement on your own or go elsewhere. I suggest Neuse Charter School as a viable option. I have not heard one single bad thing about their programs and if my kids were younger, we would definitely try that route. I don't think anyone here is trying to quell your ideas for what public school should be. Just sharing experiences, which is a good thing. I do feel for you. Both of my kids were identified AIG, went to the center, etc., and by middle school had fallen back into being bored and not challenged. We are finally back to being challenged now with AP courses. I know first hand what schools face, I have been there. I left. Take the information here with the intent in which it is posted...as information. Get what you can from it and make an informed decision for your child.
On a side note, if you haven't seen "Waiting for Superman", you should. Everyone should.

 

great post firefly

the charter school is not for everybody. of course, everyone is welcome, but some will find it's not for them. it isn't perfect, and it may not work for every kid. there have certainly been students and staff members and parents who did not find what they were looking for. it will require you to pitch in and help "build" the school and the programs and the curriculum. the best part of it, for me, is having the chance as a parent to shape the school into something that isn't what everyone is used to. having a say about some of the very issues you and others have raised, and making sure those things are addressed.

before we found out about charter schools, i was pro-voucher. competition is what the "system" needs. i can't afford to go private, and i'm not sure i'm capable of home-schooling. there was no way we were sending him to his base school(s)....so far, it has worked for us. the three of us (me my wife and our boy) have had a HUGE impact on how his education is conducted. we are thankful for the opportunity every day.

but the bottom line is: you have limited options. home, private, charter, county system. each one contains its own set of challenges and rewards. you have to find the combo that works for you.

 

I remember being in elementary school and being identified as "AG" (back in the day). We had a meeting with my mom and the teacher to discuss being placed in their program. I don't remember much about it other than 1 day a week some kids were taken off campus. I was already in the class that many of them were in. I BEGGED my mom NOT to put me in that program because I didn't want to leave campus and be "different". With that being said, my mom worked her butt off so that on evenings and weekends she was supplementing with what I needed to challenge me. Keep in mind that I was one of ten and she still did it. Today, I am thankful that she didn't insist on putting me in that program and did it herself. Not only did I learn SO much..both academics and life lessons...but I also had even more time to bond with my mom!

 

Thank you for answering my question, your child is in the first grade. AIG is not identified/tested for until 3rd grade. So no, it is not the school's responsibility - it is your responsibility.

Right now, at that age group the kids getting the extra services are the ones with IEPs or receiving remediation because they are so far behind. You have one teacher and five different levels of skills in the classroom, what you are asking for is not possible.

Your kid is not going to learn low standards in the classroom in regards to their education, they spend 6 hours a day there and the rest of their time with you... The "you can do more at home" or "you'll be fine" attitude will not gravely affect your child. It will make him know that his parents were involved and he could challenge himself too, holding himself accountable in the furture for his education.

Another poster pointed out a truth - the many levels of skills in the lower grades. Some kids have been to pre-k, some were in shoddy daycares, and some were at home with mom or dad.... They will begin to even out, that is why AIG testing is done in 3rd grade and not kindergarten.

And yes, here we go again with "the school should be doing the extra work to develop and encourage my bright child - not me...." It's free, public education - take it for what it is. The same goes for children needing extra help, the school can only do so much and follow up needs to be done at home. It's the truth, and until you can march on Washington and get them to stop tying funding to test scores.... you might try the suggestions given here to supplement your child's education.

Resources for Gifted Children and their parents:

http://www.ncagt.org/
http://resources.prufrock.com/tabid/57/Default.aspx
http://www.nagc.org/
http://www.davidsongifted.org/
http://www.sengifted.org/
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/
http://www.gifted-children.com/
http://www.tip.duke.edu/

Supplementing/Studying/Tutoring @ Home

http://www.studyisland.com/
http://www.yourchildlearns.com/owlmouse.htm
http://www.funbrain.com/
http://www.arbookfind.com/UserType.aspx
https://hosted41.renlearn.com/37150/ (take AR tests here)
http://www.khanacademy.org/
http://www.wolframalpha.com/

My last piece of advice is to let your child go at his/her own pace. Burnout is common, just like playing baseball all year long from age 4 on up - some kids play for the majors one day, and some switch to soccer.

 

and just for the record....in the big picture, nothing really matters until they get to High School...(well 8th grade a little bit)

no matter:
if they are in the slow class
if they skip a grade
if they ace the EOG's
if they dont do so well and get a waiver on EOG's
if they fail a grade
if they are held back a grade
if they are bored
if they are AIG

nothing. save yourself all the stress. Keep your kid happy while they are little, enjoy all the elementary and middle school stuff while you can....before you know it, they'll be in High School and having to take 45 math's 16 english classes, 6 foreign languages and PE all 4 years before they can even think about going to college (of course I exaggerated the amount of credits of each class, but you get the picture).

:mrgreen:

Seriously, just relax.

 

:iagree: When my now sophomore was in first grade, he was way ahead of his peers, he was in a preschool environment, spent a year home with me between preschool and K, because they couldn't teach him anything else in preschool, he was reading at a 3rd grade level in 1st grade. I honestly can't say he has suffered at all from his experience, was always on either honor roll or principals list through elementary and middle school. First year of HS he went in doing all Honors classes, but, was a complete goof off, he did fine but could have done better, this year he's opened his eyes to the reality of life, and is being challenged in his classes and doing really well, he's extremely busy between school and sports, but he does hold it together, so my point is, being advance in 1st grade and not given more difficult work did not have any adverse effects on him entering HS, it does all even out.

My 5th grader was on the opposite end of the spectrum, I voluntarily held back in 3rd grade, now she shines and is on the honor roll every quarter. I am more appreciative of the extra help offered to her that she needed, than I think I would have been had there been more challenging stuff offered to my sophomore. As KelBel said, enjoy these years, because once they hit HS your head will spin!

 

My son is in 4th grade and is "AIG". The following information is not to brag, it is to tell you about my experience behind my thoughts on your situation. My son made very high scores on the AIG testing in both math and reading, made 98% on his 3rd grade EOG, made straights A's all last year and so far this year, is reading on a 12th grade level, is smarter than I am, etc, etc, etc. If I knew a few years ago what I know how, I would do the following:

~ worry less
~ let him have "fun"
~ let him make friends
~ let him get dirty on the playground
~ color with crayons
~ spill his milk
~ just let him be a 1st grader

We are both blessed to have children who do well with little effort. We don't sit up with them at night begging them to read or have to write a note because they were too frustrated to finish their math homework, etc.

Have no fear, the work WILL get harder and there will be MORE of it. Please don't rush it. I myself did a little of what you are doing and worried way too soon that he wasn't challenged enough. I bought all the workbooks and we played school at home way too much. I learned the hard way that there are better ways to keep them happy.

If you haven't already, I suggest that you volunteer in his classroom so you can see just how many different learning levels and abilities that one/two adults have to try and bring together on a daily basis. My hat goes off to them for even trying because I know I couldn't do it.

Welcome to 4042.com and wishing you the best . . .

 

http://www.4042.com/4042forums/showthread.php?t=33289&highlight=pkc789

 

spank your kids!!! So I wont have to!!

 

Yeah, let's not go there...

Thank you for the insight. My son is very well rounded and honestly lOVES to learn. I know it seems as if I am pushing beyond reason, but if you met him you'd know I am not. If he's not challenged he becomes bored. I'd much rather push him academically than see a fallout of what too much boredom could bring.

I will take a look at the Charter school. I have also found that we could become a tuition based student across county lines, so that is another option to consider as well.