I was also reading before I reported for kindergarten, which was a boring waste of time for me. There were no special classes and my elementary school teachers were either too lazy or too unprepared to deal with a gifted child. I raced ahead of the other kids in class projects and got bored. So I spent a lot of time out in the hall. That’s what they knew what to do with a gifted child who was bored and therefore not conforming to “hands on desk, sitting still” mode. Put them out into the hall. There were no enrichment classes or honors classes available until high school. Today, I would certainly have been earning college credits while still in high school, but they did not have those programs around in the sleepy Midwestern town where I grew up.
They didn’t have kindergarten for every kid when I was growing up in the 50s.
I am entirely self taught, as far as it goes... according to regular standards, I am a failure, as I am very poor. But I don’t feel poor as I have many varied interests which I avidly follow and have taught myself many things from herbalism to various musical instruments to writing many poems and have more plans and ideas than I can do in my remaining years. I’ve only had a tv 2 years in my adult life and never watch movies. Too boring, and life’s too short.
I do spend too much time reading news on the internet, though, I need to fix that!
Hence one of the main reasons for homeschooling.
My kids were reading at 4 and 5 and by 6 were easily reading at a 6th grade level.
No way was I sending them to public school with the kids next door who didn't know their colors, couldn't count, who could hardly put together a coherent sentence, and were being molested by mom's current live in boyfriend. (who was eventually thrown in jail for it)