My two boys have sensory issues. There's were extreme when they were younger - especially my oldest. (Though it was my youngest who was incapable of eating until 2 years old, while the other was *just* 18 months). My oldest is a seeker in more ways than not however. The Out of Synch Child Has Fun had a lot of great ideas. His SPD was never diagnosed. My old ped looked at my physically healthy child and didn't think it was an issue - and I was a first time mother who listened to the ped - but then tried to come up with solutions on my own. It was a lot of work to get through it. I wish I had known to have him in therapy. We did get through it though. He still has sensory issues, of course, but they're managable now. Managable means a lot!! He's almost 10 years old and most wouldn't even notice that he has it anymore. *The compression shirt was wonderful for my youngest. He was doing a lot of twitching - like over 20 episodes in 5 minutes whenever he was still. He still twitched when active, but not as much. A compression shirt made him able to twitch less and focus much better. We also switched him to a higher protien diet and that helped immensly as well. *As for needing more, I had to schedule roughhouse time for my oldest or there would have been way too much hitting/biting/kicking. I also had to be out of the house almost constantly when he was younger. He's the reason I decided to homeshool - I knew he would always be in trouble in public kindy due to his behaviors and he was incapable of suppressing them at that time. Alternatives were helping, but all day kindy in public school would have been torture, for him and the rest of the class!

I had two for medical reasons - miscarriages. Since they were essential, it was covered just like any other health issue. I had BCBS GA at the time and had to pay $100 outpatient co-pay and that was it. I didn't have pathology the first time but did the second. (It came back with perfect chromosomes). Everything was covered except that $100 co-pay. However, that was a while ago and insurance seems to cover less and less these days.

I was thinking AoPS took care of the depth. It has slowed him down a lot compared to what we were using before. He is doing Intro to Number Theory now - between the first and second half of Intro to Alg and zipping along more quickly than expected. He's enjoying number theory but it's much easier than even the first part of Intro to Alg. (However, he did Pre-Alg through a different curriculum so his transition over may have played a part too). The plan is for him to go to the Governor's School of Math and Science. It's a public boarding magnet school which is only 11th and 12th grade. If he gets in, then he'll have lots of college level courses available, including many for college credit. He won't have to sit through wimpy college math courses like college Algebra, but that school actually offers courses like Differential Equations. I really don't see him running out of maths. There's so many on the AoPS website, especially when you add in the online coures. Plus, there's always college level courses, even if I instruct him on some not for college credit or he does some independantly. (I used to be a high school math teacher). He's a fairly normal almost 10 year old boy other than being gifted, and as such, skipping him ahead in grade number hasn't entered my mind as an option. It sounds like LoF won't be rigorous enough - since I want something at least as rigorous as high school honors. As for doing both, I don't know if he'll want to do that until we're through with one. I can see him more willing to go through LoF as a fun review than going through AoPS just for the fun of it. But it sounds like I should start him out in AoPS Geometry. (After we finish Intro to Alg, of course. That's been the plan all along - to finish the rest of the book as Alg II once Intro to Number Theory is done). We bought Intro to Prob as well but he wasn't all that interested in it so it's on the shelf for when he is.

I realize it's not as rigorous as AoPS, but how much less? Like would you consider it harder than a regular high school honors class, about the same, or less? I realize AoPS is above. We've only done Alg AoPS, but I'm a former high school math teacher and it was very obvious that AoPS was harder than a high school honors class. Though we're finding Intro to Number Theory much easier than I expected. If you did AoPS with a younger student, was the student's age a disadvantage? The plan is for Geometry the year after next, so after Alg II. But he'll only be 6th grade then. That's part of the reason why I'm considering LoF, since I've heard AoPS Geometry is harder than Intro to Alg and that's the perfect level for My oldest now - but going higher would be too much at this point. I realize I have a full year to figure this out, but figured it might take a while to find parents familiar with both curriculums and/or ones with opinions about using it AoPS geometry with younger students.

I'm wondering if he's not talking about using the AoPS books, but taking the online classes. The pace of the online classes can be too fast for some students, especially the youngest students. My oldest did finish what I consider to be Alg I from the AoPS book in 4th grade. (I use the first 12 chapters of AoPS Intro to Alg). At the start, I had to sit by his side. It took a few months for him to get into that style more indendently. He did wonderfully with it. However, had I signed him up for it online, it could have easily been a disaster. There are many kids who don't have the math maturity for Alg I in 5th grade- espeically when you're talking about AoPS. But there's far less who have the overall maturty for the online AoPS classes at that point. I did write to Ruszcyk asking him about trying out Intro to Alg since I was worried my oldest was too young - this was two months after he turned 9. He told me that he did have students that young use the book and that as long as my child did well on the pre-test, that it was worth the try. (And if not, then to do the pre-Algebra even though my son had taken a different pre-Alg course. That one was much less difficult, but there was only small gap that was easy to overcome). I'm also not so sure about an entire year on just problem solving. I agree it's not about racing through, but meeting the specific needs. With my oldest, he was usually able to get through his math curriculum fast. We switched to AoPS when the other curriculum wasn't meeting his needs anymore and it has been wonderful. However, he still hit his bumps in the other curriculum - due to maturity, not intelligence. What I did then was to take some time out of the book. That's when we did all the extra fun problem solving enrichment. With my second child, her math curiculum was working well for her and she was speeding along - doing three years worth so far this year - when all in a sudden, it caused too much stress. She's a perfectionist and was no longer having fun. So, we're taking a Life of Fred break and then we'll go back into our normal curriculum for three days of our school week and LoF for one. Both my older two kids do try to race through and both are advanced kids. So, sometimes I do need to slow them down by adding in extra enrichment. I agree with not planning year by year but by topic by topic - but knowing that can change! We end one math and then go into the next. It doesn't matter what the school year calendar says. Also, the child's learning style and interests can change over time. *I'm a former middle/high school math teacher. Math maturity is very real and has nothing to do with intelligence. The place I saw the biggest issue was not in Alg I, though public school's courses are nothing like AoPS, but Geometry proofs. I could water down the proofs, and wasn't even required to teach proofs to anyone but the honors students, but I feel proofs are a very important part of math with its reasoning and should not be skipped. With my son, I did see math maturity influencing two sections of his Alg I, but it was just two sections and I was able to work through it with him. Had we waited a year, there would be a little less struggling, but the struggling wasn't met with tears but with growth.

Our plan is not to send our oldest to college early - but there's an amazing 11th and 12th grade school that has challenging college courses at it for math and science - and it's a boarding public school. So the perfect transition for a gifted student for between homeschooling and college. Since I feel that school will meet his needs, that's our goal, not early college. My daughter may or may not skip. She is very advanced as well - but she's only 7. My son is almost 10. IMO, they're way too young to figure out if early college makes sense. On average, girls mature faster than boys too - so I'm more comfortable with skipping my daughter over my son for that reason. However, it comes down to meeting their needs. I figure that as we go along. It's impossible for me to know down the road what my child would be ready for. Homeschooling is wonderful in that I don't have to call my son several grades above his real grade. He's a 4th grader, on an advanced 9th grade math level easily, but a strong 6th grader for language arts. But he's still a 9 year old boy. Being advanced academically doesn't change that. If I find that my plan of that challenging public school isn't a good one for him, then we'll figure it out. Ramping up would just mean to make sure your child has challenging enough course work at this point. I wouldn't push with the goal of early college, or hold back with the goal of going on-time. Instead, let your child take the lead, but present her with opportunities to be challenged.

Is it possible to not grade work? I have my kids redo the math problems they don't get correct. But there's no grade on there. My oldest did have a learning curve when we switched to AoPS, since he was used to not working hard. It was frustrating but we got through it and it's amazing for him now. However, I doubt my perfectionist daughter would be able to handle AoPS style. She is still young, but she makes me sit with her when she does math to watch her every step. (And then yells at me not to watch her. And then calls me back. And it goes on). What we did was take a break from her regular curriculum. She did three levels of MUS but was no longer loving math - since there was too much anxiety with more room for error. So, we're taking a Life of Fred break. We're starting at an easier level than she needs and quickly going through -reinforcing in a fun way. I'm hoping it gives her time to get her confidence up. As for explaining why challenges are good, I compared math muscles to physical muscles. When we lift heavy weights or run further distances, it is hard. And we may be sore later. It's tiring. But it helps build our muscles so it's not as hard the next time. It makes our muscles bigger - it's growth. Without a challenge, our muscles don't grow as well. It's okay to have to work hard and struggle - that's a sign of working our muscles. I also made sure to point out accomplishments - like "you worked very hard on that, and that helped you get the answer." Somewhere I read that math aptitude was actually more accurately measured by a personality that wasn't willing to give up when faced with a difficult math problem. That it wasn't that the skilled math people were all geniuses, but they were more willing to keep at it. I used that to explain that smart isn't just what you know, but how hard you're willing to work to get there. This really helped explain it to my oldest when we switched to AoPS right after his 9th birthday. (It helps with my perfectionist daughter too, but she still needed the Life of Fred break to calm the anxiety).

Is Lof MUCH easier than AoPS or just a little easier? I'm willing to let him go a little easier, but I want to make sure he learns all that a high school honors Geometry class would cover as an absolute minimum. As a former math teacher, I can tell you that AoPS goes WAY above honors Alg I and honors Alg II though! (I realize that the contents is on LoF's website, but without seeing the book as a whole and the specific questions, I can't accurately assess the level and completness).

My 4th grader has been really enjoying AoPS. He did the first 12 chapters of Intro to Algebra for his Alg I and we're now taking a break by going through Intro to Number Theory. Then, he'll resume AoPS Intro to Alg for Alg II. Since AoPS is a wonderful challenge for him, the plan was to continue all the way through. But my daughter got some Life of Fred elementary books and now my oldest is wanting to try Life of Fred. My question is how does Lof Geometry compare to AoPS in rigor and interest? I want something as challenging as AoPS, so if Lof comes anywhere close, then I'm willing to let him give it a shot. He wants to be an engineer when he grows up and is gifted in math/science so I want a challege for him.

I'd not push him to go to college early at that age. I would continue to accelerate what he needs accelerated. He could take college level courses as he does high school courses later on, making meeting his needs better. At 9, it's hard to say if he'll be mature enough to graduate early. Boys tend to lose maturity at a couple places along the way though. My oldest is also 9. He finished Algebra I and is now plowing through Intro to Number Theory. I'm not sure what curriculum you're using, but Art of Problem Solving is awesome for gifted math kids - and has lots of levels of math so they're less likely to run out. Make sure he's doing more in depth, not just faster. I am still calling my oldest a 4th grader. He's actually ahead in all subjects, but he's still a 9 year old boy. I don't want to push him ahead in grade number when I can simply change the content he is doing. With him though, the plan is to try to get him into the public magnet math and science high school that is 11th and 12th grade only - they have college courses there. And not just the fluffy College Algebra of Tech schools, but courses like Differential Equations. Another option is having your child take CLEP tests for college credit while not in college yet. Check the colleges he's thinking about to see which ones they accept though when you start to do that. To enter college early, you need to follow whatever they require. SAT/ACT will most likely have to be taken. I'll likely have my son do that in 7th grade anyway, as part of the John Hopkins Talent search. But he'll retake it when high school age for purposes of National Merit Scholar and college applications. If there is an age minimum, then call up the school when the time comes to ask about getting around it. They might require you to sit outside the class or have some other accomodation. Also keep in mind that those community colleges are great for getting some of the simple mandatory courses out of the way, some may not have the type of courses you're looking for. Many advanced math students never take College Algebra and start out in Calculus instead. Another option is online classes. Since he's only 9, I really wouldn't worry about it yet. I'd just meet his specific needs now and make sure he has curriculum that is involved enough for him.

6 to 9 months is a very busy time for many babies. I wouldn't just nurse in a dark quiet room, but also try to manually get letdown to get him to nurse if he gets too distracted at the start. If the milk is squirting out, he's more likely to nurse. You can do breast compressions to encourage him to stay on longer as well. My middle child had a terrible distraction phase from 4 to 12 months. Her weight and length were on the chart, but her weight-to-length fell to below 3% at one point. My ped wasn't concerned, but it was enough for me to start pumping one sippy a day of breastmilk for her. If the weight-to-length is also fine, then I wouldn't worry too much, but I would focus on trying to not let the distraction take over too much. Make sure those solids continue to be just extra since the breastmilk is more calorie-dense in most cases and more complete in all cases. My oldest gained 4oz total from 7 to 11 months. At some points, he actually had lost weight. He was huge, so it wasn't a worry. He started walking holding onto things at 6.5 months and real walking at 9 months, so it was a time of increased activity. My youngest didn't gain from 9 to 12 months. He was a much more laidback baby than my other two and did the physical things later, so his time of less gain was a little later. (He continued to gain slowly after that, thinning out).

Me listening while he reads while I cook dinner would not work as far as me checking his comprehension and word pronounciation. I have an auditory processing weakness and really need to be reading along with him to myself if I'm going to catch all that. I found him reading outloud, as I followed along in the book, to be important in first and second grade but didn't think it necessary at this point. Due to the way MCT is set up, the child does read outloud at times. As for being challenged, some parts of MCT did did challenge him - like memorizing the vocab was challenging for him. Some parts did not. He did all the writing assignments in paragraph town. I thought it was a good balance for him. But he's also not likely to let on if something is too easy - he likes easy. He enjoys creative writing, but doesn't like writing summaries of what he read. He did some research paragraphs for MCT and didn't care for those as nearly as much as when he could write about any topic that didn't need research. Is there a creative writing program that someone would suggest? If I add extra work, I don't want him to view it as more work- but want him to think it is fun and interesting. He isn't bored since he can always find things to play. Right now, it's creating involved card games, like Pokemon, but he's creating all the characters and rules.

So you think MCT is challenging enough? Or that we're doing the right thing by just one level a year? (He wouldn't have time for two full levels, but we could move on to the next level instead of doing lots more creative writing). Or any side fun, writing projects or competitions that might not feel like more work? He really enjoys creative writing so I would be hesitant to take it all out. The problem with read alouds is that he would rather just read it himself. We started out with readalouds at the end of first grade - we took turns reading Harry Potter outloud. That continued through all of second grade. He didn't want it out loud anymore, but I wanted to make sure he understood the vocab and comprehension. So, we abandoned the readalouds once I felt he had strong proficiency. (Though we do take turns reading with some of the MCT books, based on how they're set up. Plus, poetry needs to be read outloud!) I have an auditory processing weakness and would not be surprised if he has a mild weakness in that as well, making reading it himself easier. I do readalounds with my second child who is in first grade. We're doing Little House on the Prarie and my oldest has zero interest in reading along or listening to that.

My husband wanted to be an engineer from as young as he can remember. His dad was an electrical engineer. My husband went on to get degrees in both mechanical and electrical engineering and is very happy as an electrical engineer. I wanted to be a veterinarian or a professional ice cream maker when I was younger. I ended up a math teacher. I never was sure of what I wanted to be though - while my husband was certain. (I didn't figure it out until partway through college and even then, I thought I wanted to be elem. I switched to high school math after graduating). My oldest (9) wants to be an engineer. It started out that he wanted to be an engineer so he could work with daddy. But due to his aptitude and interest, I wouldn't be surprised if my oldest does end up an engineer. My middle child (7) wants to be an artist and a veterinarian. I could see either of those happening, but I could also see her changing her mind. My younger son(4) wants to grow up to be a Girl Scout. (Cookie season just ended and he REALLY wants to sell cookies). He also wants to be a daddy. So maybe he'll have a daughter and get to be a scout leader. (Men who are leaders in Girl Scouts are technically Girl Scouts).

If your child is doing well and not asking for anything additional, are you doing enough? Or do you add in something else to figure out when you get to that limit, right before it's pushing? I have a 4th grader who is a gifted child, but he's not the type to read textbooks for fun. (Though he will read Horrible Science for fun). I'm very comfortable with the math thanks to AoPS being a perfect fit. But I'm now second guessing how we do Language Arts. I had always thought of him as a very gifted Math/Science kid who does pretty well in Language Arts too, but more of a normal smart kid in that. He recently took the SCAT, and though it doesn't mean a child is gifted, it surprised me that he qualified for CTY in verbal as well. It was his very first time taking a formal standardized test at a testing center. (He did the PASS last year but that was a very laidback environment. So, though he scored well in all three areas, that didn't make me wonder as much. But maybe my head was just too much in math mode). We didn't do any prep for the test either other than showing him the sample questions on their website. There was a huge difference in his math and verbal scores, which wasn't surprising. But because his math is so high, I think I may not be giving the attention to Language Arts that I should. Any suggestions? For language arts, we started the first level of Michael Clay Thompson in 3rd grade, and did the second in 4th. Since we finish it up early, he spends the rest of the school year writing stories. He reads books that he wants that are on grade level or above. (Also, a disclaimer, I'm not a classical homeschooler. I'd call my style eclectic. But I find that this site has the best curriculum suggestions). Or do you wait until your child asks for more? I don't think my child is the type to ask for more however, so how do you know if it's time to challenge them more? And how would you go about this with Language Arts in particular?

We were doing MUS from Alpha through Alg I, when my oldest started making too many careless errors and was bored - and so was I. So, at the start of 4th grade, less than 2 months after he turned 9, he began AoPS Intro to Algebra. Initially, I did have to sit by him and help talk him through the discovery method. But by half-way through the school year, he rarely needed me at all anymore. He learned not only the discovery method, but how to use the books to help him learn. So, it was about learning far more than math. He finished the first 12 chapters of Intro to Algebra and is now zipping through Number Theory. Number Theory has been much easier, but it's a nice break. We'll then likely go back to the second half of Intro to Alg and call it Alg II. We didn't use the online videos at all - but I'm a former middle/high school math teacher, so he's at an advantage. We use Alcumus on occassion. Initially, I used it more because I found he would get less frustrated and was willing to work harder for the computer than the textbook. But he now uses it as a fun supplement. As for which problems, my son did every single regular problem for Alg I. He did every single challenge and starred problem as well until around chapter 10. One day I assigned him to pick XX number of problems from the challenge section instead of requiring that they all be done. The challenge problems switched to him worrying about them taking too long to something really fun as a result. His math brain is excellent, but he's still a 9 year old boy who often likes to rush, so that helped immensly. (Also, I sat by his side initially and was no longer sitting by him by that point unless he couldn't solve a problem and couldn't understand it from the answers either. He's doing AoPS as a self-taught curriculum at this point, but I'm back up for when he doesn't understand - and to make sure he's not glossing over and really does understand). *We didn't skip any math to get to this point. MUS is very easy to accelerate, so we simply moved faster most of the time. (There were a couple of math maturity issues along the way so we slowed down at those points until math maturity caught up).

We're a couple of hours away and it's 60's Sat and 70's for Sunday. Look at the lows as well. It's not unusual to need a jacket and pants be chilly in the morning and be able to get away with shorts later on. (Get away with shorts meaning at least 70 degrees). None of us own heavy coats. We certainly wouldn't use one for 60's - that's no jacket but long-sleeved for me and short sleeved for my husband. We layer when it gets cold, since it doesn't stay like that long - and there can be huge temp spans over even just one day.

Agree that homeschooling usually makes schooling gifted kids easier. Plus, it's perfectly fine for your child not to be identified as gifted. You meet their needs, no matter if they're gifted or not, and all is good! Teaching gifted kids can be more challenging at times - but teaching children who think differently or have learning disabilities would also be challenging. It's been really good with my oldest. He thinks in a way that is so much like mine that not only can I handle this with ease, but I really understand it. I didn't realize he was gifted right away. And once it dawned on me, it was what he had already accomplished that helped cement it. My second child is a bit more of a challenge. She's also gifted, but in totally different ways than my oldest. It is more of a struggle for me to get her needs met - but I know I'm doing better than the public school. It will be more expensive, since they have different needs. I'm learning a lot about different curriculums as a result. Hopefully I'll be able to re-use someone's old curriculum for my 3rd child! Public school would not be able to handle my oldest. What do you do with a 9 year old who has completed a very difficult Alg I course already - yet he can't tell you the months of the year in order? My second would have trouble handling public school. She's a perfectionist and has some social anxiety and thinks she has to do everything just so. So, that wouldn't be very good for her growth either since she would be stressed all the time - and more apt to take the easier route since she would rather be perfect in something easy than slightly imperfect in something challenging. What is it that you think public school can do for a gifted child that you can not? *

We went with the basic set and found it worked well for us. However, we could have done just the teacher manual's of everything and been fine - though I would have had to write out sentences for one of the books. I'll likely order the basic set again just because of the ease. We do not do the literature component. The poetry is included in the basic one. I like this because otherwise I would have likely not given my child that exposure. My oldest is in 4th grade and is almost done with the second (Town) level. The first level seemed very basic to me. The recommendations had said to wait until at least 3rd, so I waited. However, he could have handled that first level younger. The second level is a jump up from the first level - and I'm not sure if he would have been ready for town in 3rd grade, so it worked out. There is a lot of vocab and a lot of writing exercises that I would not skip. So, my suggestion would be to start on the Town level for a 5th grader. *I just went to the MCT website and it suggested that 5th graders start with Town.

Very true! My oldest was not obviously gifted at that age. He wouldn't even let me read one single picture book to him until 4.5 years old - and that was a rarity! Once we figured out he liked Goosebump books, we were able to read to him better. But he had zero interest in learning to read until first grade. He didn't even learn his letter sounds until almost 5- only prompted because his obviously gifted little sister magically learned her after watching the Leap Frog video twice. At the start of first grade, he struggled with "mat sat." At the end of first grade, he was reading Harry Potter. From there on out, he loved reading and read books of all levels with understanding. (As for his obviously gifted sister, her reading level is now about the same as his was towards the end of first grade, about 5th grade reading level - and she's in first grade. They took two very different paths!) For his math, he couldn't count outloud to 20 at 4. But he taught himself how to add decimals with carrying on the abacus. He couldn't read the numbers outloud, like five hundred twenty-three, but it would be 5-2-3. He's always been very curious and asked tons of questions. Add in a speech delay and sensory issues, and I didn't realize he was gifted until 7 years old, and had no idea how gifted. He's almost 10 now and he seems more and more gifted with each passing year. My oldest is also a builder. He says he wants to be an engineer when he grows up. (His father is an engineer and I'm a former math teacher). There's been people who haven't known this who have commented that he should be an engineer based on his questions and how he looks at the world. He definately has strong talents in that area. But don't ask him to memorize random things. Or even semi-important things that he doesn't feel important. He finished AoPS Alg I this year already, in 4th grade, and is zipping though Number Theory now. But he can't tell you the months of the year in order. He only learned the days of the week in order last year. Memorization is not his strong suit - unless there is reason behind it or unless he feels it's important. That doesn't mean he's not gifted though. It just meant he didn't fill out some of the pretty little checklists when he was younger. *My husband has never read the age levels either. This means that we've had some toys that have broken because a 3 year old shouldn't have a toy for 12+ if you don't want it to break! My husband slowly learned, but it took a while. Legos aren't an issue though - at least there's not the fragile, toy broken forever issue with those! My husband has all along bought toys that HE wanted, which at least gave my oldest exposure to plenty! If you want another building toy, check out Keva blocks. They're simple planks, all the same size. The Contraptions kit comes with two balls, but ping pong balls with two. All three of my kids have spent hours upon hourse with those simple blocks.

Interesting about the SAT. I'm wondering what happens with a child who is strong in one area but not another. I always got good grades in reading/literature and was advanced in it. I was a good writer, but had to work very hard when it came to things like vocab tests. I have some auditory processing weaknesses and had to compensate in other ways. As a result, the first time I took the SAT as a high schooler, my math and verbal were 200 points different. (They were also 200 points different when I took it in 7th grade. My GRE had math and quant very high and only 10 points apart. I can't remember what my verbal was, other than at least 150 points below those). I am not gifted in verbal - I was more of a motivated student. I am gifted in math. I do score as gifted on that chart due to my math raising up my score quite a bit, but the verbal brings it down. I don't have an amazing memory, but my application and analysis are great. On standardized tests, I sometimes struggle with over-reasoning. I would do much better on an essay verbal test to explain why I picked the answers I did! I didn't realize my oldest was gifted until the end of first grade. I knew he was a smart kid, but he wasn't shocking me all along, like my second child did. She was obviously gifted from as young as I can remember. I grew up with a profoundly gifted older brother so I think I didn't realize how gifted I was either - since it was not on the same level as my brother. All three of my kids have/had speech delay - as did I. And my two boys have sensory issues. That also got in the way of me realizing if my oldest was gifted or just a smart kid. It really didn't matter to have a label though, as a homeschooler. As he's become older, it's been more and more obvious that he's gifted. As for the maxing out at third grade, it's become more and more obvious as time as gone on. *I do not know if my third child is gifted. He does have speech delays and sensory issues - though his sensory issues don't cause the behavior issues that did with my oldest. He's also far more laid back than my other two kids. If I had to guess, I'd say my third child is not gifted. But at the same age, barely 4, I would have guessed my first wasn't either.

That would be kindy in my state, but there are some with later cut-offs. More than half of the states have a cut-off at Sept 1st or earlier. I call my kids the grades they would be in public school by age - and then do whatever level they belong on, which is very different than the grade. I have to report what grade my kids are in, otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it at all. With your daughter being so close to the cut-off, it's a more gray area. I know some parents in that situation who did private school to get their sept girls starting school earlier. But you also have to consider long-term, if it's better to have an extra year to play with or not. It is easier emotionally to skip later on then repeat later on. However, with a girl so close, it really could go either way. (Boys biologically tend to be behind the girls with maturity so I'd be far more hesitant to bump a boy up who is on the line).

I'm not familiar enough with that curriculum to know what age ends up Alg I. Some curriculums put Alg I as 8th grade. But taking Algebra I in 9th grade is perfectly normal. So, if your child is on track to take Alg I in 9th grade, I wouldn't worry about being "behind." If you're not on track to do Alg I until 10th grade, I still wouldn't worry all that much about it. When I taught high school math, we did block scheduling - 4 courses each semester. That allowed students to easily fit in extras of math if they didn't pass or were behind. If your child decides they want to go into a math related field, you can catch up later.

I agree with those who don't think that quote has anything to do with your daughter's competitions. I see it more as working for extrinsic awards shouldn't be the point of learning - it should be intrinsic awards. Since your daughter loves competitions, she is getting an intrinsic award. If the only thing she cares about was the trophy, and not the satisfaction of doing her best and not enjoying the competition part, then it would be totally different. I would have liked that quote too. I went through the public school system ONLY caring about my grades. I learned how to play the game well, but really didn't learn all that much in the end when it came to true knowledge.

I realize now that my post could have been taken that way.^^^ I agree not to label. But there's a way to play up strengths without doing that. Like, my older brother could memorize quite well if he paid attention. I couldn't - but I knew I was a hard worker and had the focus needed to do well. One of my strengths was persistance. I don't think that's really labelling me for my parents to note that I was good at not giving up. My oldest doesn't have great memorization for random facts - but given the reasons why and the background, he can memorize well. He knows his path is different than his sister's - and that's okay! They do sometimes end up in the same place and sometimes not. But they use their individual strengths along the way.