Crossing a New Bridge - What to do with this GT kid

It has been obvious for a long time that P1 was smarter than average, that he often saw things from a different perspective, and that he tho't a little deeper than most kids his age.



At the end of his 3 yr old preschool year (he was barely 4), his teacher said that he could start kindergarten now & be just fine. At the end of pre-K, his teacher said that he will likely be bored in kindergarten.



He might have been, but he had an excellent kindergarten teacher. She adapted lessons for him, sent him to 1st grade for reading group, sent home 1st grade homework instead of wasting his time on kinder homework, started him reading chapter books (it hadn't even occurred to me). Even so, on Christmas break, he said that he was done with kindergarten & ready to start 1st grade. He was probably right, but that's not how public school works. Fortunately, he was admitted to the GT program. That one hour a week made a big difference.



And then 1st grade was lousy. Enough said.



I was hopeful for 2nd grade because P1's Kind. teacher moved to 2nd grade last year. How perfect! She already knows him. She's already succeeded with him. When I turned in my request to have her as a teacher, I said to myself (& maybe my sister), "If he doesn't get Mrs. G, I'm gonna push for him to move to 3rd grade," not really thinking it was even a possibility.



So, 2or 3 weeks ago, I was on the school's website I noticed Mrs. G wasn't listed on the 2nd grade team. AAARGH! Panic, rapid heartbeat, freak out, etc.



Did I really mean it that I'd push to skip to 3rd? What now?

I went & had P1's reading & math levels assessed at KnowledgePoints. After the reading assessment (she gave him the 3rd grade test), the assessor said, "You have some decisions to make." She suggested home schooling because "public school won't be able to keep up with him."

As P1 had heard us discussing the dilemma, he said, "Promise me you won't home school me." I know it wouldn't be the ideal for him. He thrives in the school environment. He's so social and enjoys the independence away from Mom & Dad.

So, I have a child entering 2nd grade who:
- Has a conversational vocabulary of a 10 ½ year old
- Reads & comprehends on a 5th-6th grade level
- Works math word problems on a 6th grade level
- Does math computations on a 3+ grade level, and is gaining ground quickly as he learns to multiply & divide. He has also started pre-Algebra lessons.
- Took the 2006 3rd grade TAKS test & got 34/36 correct on the reading, and 35/40 correct on the math (only missing the problems with terms he has not been introduced to yet)

Besides all this, he’s GT. He sees things differently. He solves problems differently. He is decidedly outside the box. What can we do to keep this child engaged in school?

We meet with his principal tomorrow to discuss it. I hope she's ready for him.