Posted on 09/19/2008 3:15:48 PM PDT by reaganaut1
I'm incredibly frustrated.
My daughter, who is in 6th grade, is very good at and very interested in math. Over the summer she asked for 6th and 7th grade math workbooks; she completed the 6th grade books and some of the 7th grade books. She also took an online Math Olympiad course through Johns Hopkins CTY, and also did some work on the Aleks math program (which I love).
We also had her tested academically over the summer; she came out generally in the 96-99% for math on both I.Q. and achievement tests.
Last year, she had been very bored in her math class (but didn't tell me until the year was almost over). She wants to avoid a similar situation this year.
An educational consultant who I spoke with briefly (just a general phone interview), who seemed familiar with our school system, suggested we try to have her go directly 7th grade honors math rather than 6th grade math. This sounded like a good idea, but...
to make a long story short, I was told today that they are refusing to let her advance in math (without any testing at all for her level) because it is not "developmentally appropriate" ! This is after being informed about her work over the summer, standardized test scores, etc.
This is not an acceptable situation but I'm not sure what to do about it. I don't have the time or $$ to hire a consultant and go into a long protracted battle over this, plus by the time I (hopefully) won the year would probably be half over. Can I just pull her out of math class? I would rather have her literally sit in the car and study appropriate- level work than to have her waste her time again for another year. Can I home-school her for that subject? (I guess that would be the same thing).
She asks every day if she could go into another class; she sits in the room and does Sudoko puzzles she is so bored.
I am planning to enroll her in [a private math school] to do some more advanced work in a structured setting but that doesn't solve the problem of this year's math class.
Any advice or comments would be welcome.
Thanks so much,
Signed,
Frustrated
Reaganaut1, I’m sending this plea to the Homeschooling ping list! They’ll be able to help you.
Sounds like you are doing what you have to do. Get her into more advanced math or do it yourself. You likely do not have many other options...JFK
Not sure that private school is the answer. You can continue to challenge her at home while she continues on at school. Supplementing the everyday work with interesting workbooks or projects may help.
You might also ask her present school if they would consider having her work with less gifted kids in math or working with younger children to help them with their math.
I would probably pull her out and homeschool, but I’m not sure how to apply that sort of thing mid-year.
Do whatever you can to encourage it. ANYTHING you can to encourage it. I was the same way, but they[school/pseudopsychs] slapped the ADHD label on me and my life has been cut short on the fullscale academic career. (Don’t ever, ever let your kid take ADHD drugs. This goes for anyone reading. Can permanantly damage the mind!)
Don’t kid yourself. Those educators know more than anyone else ever will. Your kids are damned lucky to have them. Didn’t you know that.
I realize you pulled this off another forum. I guess it’s just my frustration talking. What these educators have bought off on in the interest of our chidlren’s welfare, leads me to think they are unfit to have anything to do with children, let alone be teaching them.
Rather than try to put the girl only in a higher level math, have the parents tried to get her in a gifted and talented program? My son went from elementary thru high school in a G&T program and did very well. Most such programs will require that you do well over all (as opposed to one area such as math), but usually that’s not a problem.
It’s been a while, but I think that the G&T call is not one the classroom teacher makes, but is made thru the school district after testing. You might try that as an end run around the teacher.
They’re probably gym teachers.
My daughter took honors and joint enrollment courses all through high school. Her senior year they suddenly said she could not enroll for either of those kind of courses. I bailed out of work and went to the school where I finally cornered some assistant something who told me that there was a “note” in my daughter’s file. The “note” was a statement of opinion from an honor’s teacher the previous year. Said teacher had been removed from the classroom for improper behavior. The “note” opined that my daughter was an “over-achiever” and that the school should not enroll her in honors or joint enrollment classes as it would be detrimental. Just that a note, from a teacher that had been removed. Nothing more, no testing, no consulting with a parent, no checking with her academic counselor, nothing.
Anyone who thinks a public school is a good place for a gifted child is sadly mistaken.
You can go to the principal (and if no action is taken, then the school board), and demand that an IEP (Individual Education Plan) be put in place for your daughter. The school must pay for any testing, and provide an appropriate level of education for your daughter. And IEP Team is put together, and while one person may say that it’s not developmentally appropriate, there are others who will also be evaluating the situation. The school does NOT have an option to deny you this.
Additionally, I would suggest talking with your daughter’s math teacher specifically, requesting enrichment activities (all teachers are taught how to mainstream gifted and talented students, and teachers textbooks provide enrichment activities for them to use) for your daughter. If she is as advanced as you say, the math teacher will most likely also be recommending putting her in an advanced class. Teachers don’t want to see kids become bored.
Good luck!
Algebra changes everything
No, she is not there to teach other kids. that will become extremely boring very quickly. She needs to learn math, not teaching.
In general it is very, very wrong to take smart kids and turn them into teachers for less-gifted kids. It isn’t what they are there to do.
Algebra is the coolest thing since Free Republic. I have three children taking algebra this year: 17-year-old in community college, 14-year-old in 9th grade (homeschool), and 11-year-old in 7th grade. The funny thing is they all make the same mistakes. It must be genetic.
If a better private school isn’t an option, I’d get higher grade textbooks in math and let her work through those at home.
when she gets to high school she will be able to take higher level math classes right away.
In high school I was able to finagle taking pre-calculus (advanced algebra) and calculus at the same time. It is workable.
If the girl is in the right levels in other subjects besides math, I would just keep her in the public school and supplement the math with a private tutor who would push her ahead. Sure, she’ll be bored in the normal school math, but eventually she’ll be able to take advanced math courses in either middle school or high school. Some high schools (even public ones) permit advanced students in a particular subject to take a local college level course. My local school district does that.
This ping list is for articles of interest to homeschoolers. DaveLoneRanger has asked me to take over the management of this list. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping List. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added or removed from either list, or both.It’s not the school system, its the people who run the school system. Here in Valdez, a kid gifted in math can proceed at his or her appropriate level. For example, I have an 8th grader in college algebra earning college credit. I had him in 6th grade for geometry and 7th grade for Algebra II (this is my 22nd year of teaching high school mathematics).
what I would suggest is to have the person get singapore math books. Or start the kid on algebra. Math is pretty sequential in terms of the topics and difficulty. If this young lady has the maturity for math I suspect she does, then jumping her into algebra should not be a problem.
School districts resist placing kids in higher level math classes because it makes them uncomfortable. Its a bother and a pain to rearrange schedules, etc. Of course, their job is to teach _all_ the kids, but they think that applies to only kids at the bottom.
Another possibility is to find a sympathetic math teacher or two in the school district and see if they can help out. An experienced math teacher should be delighted to have a bright and energetic student in their class.
You know that the advice that she’ll get from the homeschoolers will generally be to homeschool her daughter. If the mother can’t handle certain subjects, then a community college would be a good resource.
It sounds like this girl’s is already above the level many kids enter community college at, so the mother doesn’t have to worry about her not being ready.
I’m pinging gabz too to see if anyone on the Public School ping list might have any suggestions on how to get somewhere with the school district.
The public school does not have any obligation to teach your child more, or better, than the other kids are taught. In some school districts, they don’t offer Gifted & Talented courses. They don’t have to.
Consider a charter school if that’s an option in your state. They will offer advanced courses. It’s like homeschool (it’s at home) but legally it’s like public in that it’s funded by the state. You don’t have to pay for it. They send you the curriculum and sometimes a free computer for the year.
If you can’t do anything else, go to the school board or the supt of schools and discuss the matter. Not the principal.
Another option might be advanced courses in a local community college, or “math camp.”
Don’t do nothing. It can kill incentive in your child. Give a damn. Always.
Been there, done that and am still angry about after 20 years! Pull her out.
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