Anyone else not know where they "fit"?

[Mommy22alyns]

:001_smile: I want to say that I love it here. I've received excellent advice and I always learn a lot from the different viewpoints. I'm not unhappy or upset in any way.

 

All the same, I'd love to hear from anyone else on here who isn't quite sure where they and their child(ren) fit. I always feel awkward posting on the Accelerated board because I've never had the girls evaluated in any way. What if I just think they're "gifted" or "advanced" and they're not? I'd feel like a fraud for posting over there. Plus sometimes I hear about the really super gifted kids and I compare. I know I shouldn't, but it's hard not to.

 

But on the other hand, sometimes I post here and get the well intentioned slap on the hand. :) I have no doubt that everyone means well, but my five year old actually did need a spelling program!

 

So I flit between the boards. Anyone else feeling a little personally confused? Come here and tell us all about you and your "somewhere between" kids!

 

**sprinkling safe zone fairy dust** - everyone be kind! :001_smile:

[patchfire]

:) Right there with you!

 

Dd1 is 8.5 - third grade level. Yet she's doing pre-algebra level work in math and loves it. Her spelling and handwriting are below grade level, but her ability to write is at least a bit above grade level, as is her reading level. I can see that she grasps concepts that I wouldn't expect a 3rd grader to grasp. Yet, I know that she wouldn't be considered "gifted" by many, and I have no desire to have her tested.

 

Ds is newly four and I definitely understand you, because he keeps asking me to teach him spelling. :lol: It's very likely he'll be doing "K-ish" work by the fall, a good year ahead, and I don't know where he'll go from there. Again, though, I have no desire to have him tested, and it's not like he's reading at age three or anything.

 

Dd2 is merely an expert at sitting and drooling so far. ;)

[Mom2GirlsTX]

Mom22alyns, you are a sweet lady!

 

I think that it is very safe to say that if your 5 year old needs a spelling program, you are very safe on the gifted board. :D

 

I've spent my whole life wondering where I fit in :D so you aren't alone.

I guess I could :lurk5:

 

We are such a wide variety here, I don't think there is any one special group, we are as much a giant puddle of everything from A to Z homeschool wise, religious/ethnic/curriculum/food preference, etc that we all just jump in and hope for the best here ;)

[MIch elle]

Ignore the "slap" on the hand - PLEASE! We are all trying to help each other and if you feel that it doesn't apply to your dc or family then ignore it. :grouphug:

 

My dc didn't know how to read at 5 yo let alone need a spelling program! Ignore ME - :D!

 

We're homeschoolers - WE ALL DON'T FIT IN! :tongue_smilie:

[EKS]

FWIW, you don't have to have your kids evaluated for them to be accelerated. It's all about where they're working grade-level wise in relation to their age. And you don't need high IQ scores to be accelerated either. For many years the only IQ score I had for my son (who has multiple LDs) was below average and I still posted there because he was 2+ years ahead in math. But I'll admit, I did feel a bit like an imposter during that time.

 

Now, all that said, I recently removed the ages and grade levels of my children from my signature. I figure people can make their own determination about grades and levels and whatever else based on the resources listed.

[Mommy22alyns]

 

Ds is newly four and I definitely understand you, because he keeps asking me to teach him spelling. :lol:

 

When was his birthday? My girls just had birthdays in late March. Sylvia loves the AAS spelling tiles and board and every time I work with Becca on it, she asks for her own words. I give her simple CVC words and make a big fuss over her work. ;)

[rafiki]

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[Kfamily]

Mom22alyns,

 

I truly do know how you feel. I too have a dd (about the same age as yours-dd just turned 6 in Feb.) who is so hard to keep up with. I have her in a spelling program too but I know it is too easy for her. I can't decide if I should move her up or do something else. Meanwhile her desire to write has really taken off but I'm still trying to get her to write (handwriting wise) in correct form before sloppy writing habits take place.:lol: She is a force of her own and one I can't seem to hold into place long enough to feel like I'm in charge of her education. I've had to let go in some ways. We will be doing CW Primers this fall so I'm hoping this will help give us structure yet keep challenging her. This is so hard. She is reading the same books my older dd is reading (Voyage of the Dawn Treader and 8 Cousins) so I'm thankful my older dd doesn't feel overly threatened by this.

I feel weird about the Accelerated Board too because we haven't tested either. I really can relate.:001_smile:

 

:grouphug:

[rafiki]

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[Mom22ns]

My ds has an IQ of 150, and is far ahead in some ways, but has multiple LDs (thats why he has been tested and I know his IQ), and is barely at grade level in other things. I hang out on the Special needs board, the curriculum board and sometimes I even wander over to the accelerated board, although I never post there. I fit in the "doing what is best for ds at the time" camp. He started reading at two. He has all kinds of splinter skills, but his levels are just all over the place, so I take him where he is and try to keep him moving forward and enjoying learning to the best of his abilities.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

When was his birthday? My girls just had birthdays in late March. Sylvia loves the AAS spelling tiles and board and every time I work with Becca on it, she asks for her own words. I give her simple CVC words and make a big fuss over her work. ;)

 

Go ahead and get her started then! DD was spelling simple CVC words with a movable alphabet a few months before she turned 4yo. I found AAS a few months later and started her in November, 2 months after her birthday. We are now about halfway through and are just getting to new material. But best of all, it is fun for both of us.

[Jumping In Puddles]

My daughter is ahead of my son in some ways... she wants to learn how to read (she reads cvc words and bob books) and she asks for work but she is not advanced but I don't see any harm in giving her some work. She will be 5 in a few weeks and when I read the sig's of what other 5yo are doing... :eek:

 

My ds on the other hand, doesn't like learning to read, doesn't want to sit and do any work but LOVES to learn from being read to or from TV but would never ask to do work. It is strange to me because he seems so ridiculously smart to people that I get comments whenever we meet people. I constantly hear "wow, he is sooooo advanced" :confused: I want to tell people to head over here to see what advanced really is! :lol: So I want to know, what is it about him that makes people think he's advanced when he is just exactly average in math and reading? He does love to be read to (his favorite activity in the world, he would rather be read to than anything else).

 

He asks such good relevant questions and seems to understand things that are pretty complex so why isn't he reading and in higher math if people think he's "so advanced" :confused: So here, I have the opposite problem :lol: I have a kid that, from virtually everyone he knows, thinks he is advanced but he is exactly on grade level.

Edited May 4, 2009 by Jumping In Puddles

[Brindee]

I've been told, when I've "flitted" in the gifted area, that there's a big difference in being gifted, as opposed to accelerated. So my dd is accelerated, not gifted, and that's fine with me. I don't need testing to "prove" anything to me, I just work with her at her levels.

 

She was on track to do Algebra this year, but wanted another year before heading into Algebra. Her friend across the street is also accelerated, and tried to talk her into going into Algebra this year, since she was. My dd said no, she just didn't feel ready. I respect her decision, and have no need to push her into it when she didn't want to! We gave her this year and worked with LoF and R&S and she feels more confident/ready to do Algebra next year!

 

Sometimes a child will fly way ahead, and you're sure you've got a genius on your hands! :) That happened with my ds, now 15. He wasn't even interested in school stuff or reading until he was 7. Then suddenly a lightbulb went off and he couldn't get enough! He went through 3 mathbooks in one year! Not because I pushed, but because he so badly wanted to do it! So the next year, age 7 still, turning 8 in a couple of months, he was ready for 4th grade math. So he did that, and took a year to do it. Then when he was 9 he hit a wall, and cried any time math was mentioned. I never pushed him, he always asked, and I still don't know what happened. But he'd look at a mathbook and say, "That's too much, I can't do all that!" So I ended up going to Life Pacs, which he could handle, because though they have the same amount of info., the 10 books are each small, and he got rewarded every 30 pages or so by finishing something. That helped him accept doing math again, but it did put him behind his previous level, to the point where he is doing Algebra 2 in 9th grade, NOT calculus or something! ;) I don't care, I'm just glad he's back on track and doesn't feel overwhelmed!

 

I have no problem with people who do what's best for their child. It's when the child, like my son, charges forward, so the parents keep pushing them to continue at that pace. We all like to brag on our kids, but when parents push their child to show how smart their kid is, then it's detrimental! It's not hard to do that, but it's something we need to be aware of! If the child slows down on something they've been ahead in, allow them to do that! Maybe they'll push ahead in some other category. My thing is to allow them to speed up if they "need to", but also to allow them to slow down if they "need to!" Be aware of their pace and needs!

[patchfire]

When was his birthday? My girls just had birthdays in late March. Sylvia loves the AAS spelling tiles and board and every time I work with Becca on it, she asks for her own words. I give her simple CVC words and make a big fuss over her work. ;)

 

March 23. I am always finding our AAS tiles in new configurations on our magnet board! He wants to write a lot of notes, too, so I'm actually starting to see real words appear... but then he can't read them. Sooo backwards of what I expect!

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

March 23. I am always finding our AAS tiles in new configurations on our magnet board! He wants to write a lot of notes, too, so I'm actually starting to see real words appear... but then he can't read them. Sooo backwards of what I expect!

 

My dd could spell words before she could read them too. Spelling is still easier than reading for her but her reading has had a huge jump ahead in the last few weeks.

[Night Elf]

I've often felt the same way, so don't lose heart. My two youngest children have been tested as gifted but compared to gifted kids I read about on the accelerated board and in other online communities, they seem average. And that's ok.

 

I found it much more difficult to find our place when they were younger. The lower elementary grades were just shallow for them because so much of the work was geared to teaching reading skills. Once they hit 4th grade, it's been so much better! The material is more substantial and it's easy to add in more if they need it. Their learning styles are very different so it's been, and still is, quite a challenge to meet their individual needs.

 

And of course there's the whole classical dilemma I have on this board. We really aren't following a classical education using K12. It's just been really hard for me because it's so beyond me on a personal nature. My DH is really making the majority of the educational decisions and he's listening to my ramblings. I can't wait to receive the new WTM Anniversary book! He's promised to read through it to see what can be added to the kids current programs to beef them up and make them more mind challenging.

[maryanne]

I can relate to how you feel, too. I have a 9yo ds who I suspect (without any real testing) is probably somewhere near the dividing line between well above average and truly gifted. When I get on the Gifted Boards and read about some the amazingly gifted children's accomplishments I think wow, that is so NOT my ds. However I hesitate to post our experiences on the regular boards either because our experiences aren't very typical either.

[Mommy22alyns]

March 23. I am always finding our AAS tiles in new configurations on our magnet board! He wants to write a lot of notes, too, so I'm actually starting to see real words appear... but then he can't read them. Sooo backwards of what I expect!

 

 

Becca's was March 21 and Sylvia's March 24. Yay for March kids! :D

 

It is really great to hear about our in-betweeners - now I know I'm not the only one out there!

 

Maryanne, that's exactly where I suspect Becca (so probably Sylvia) is too - somewhere on that line between more than "just" bright and truly "gifted."

 

Sharon (Jumping in Puddles), I have that odd feeling with Becca too, just from her being so advanced in reading but just at grade level in math. My girls have very different personalities, so where Becca would happily do things, Sylvia kind of does this: :glare:. She may be harder to motivate when she's older; for now I let her come and go at her own pace.

[rowan25]

. I always feel awkward posting on the Accelerated board because I've never had the girls evaluated in any way. What if I just think they're "gifted" or "advanced" and they're not? I'd feel like a fraud for posting over there. Plus sometimes I hear about the really super gifted kids and I compare. I know I shouldn't, but it's hard not to.

 

But on the other hand, sometimes I post here and get the well intentioned slap on the hand. :) I have no doubt that everyone means well, but my five year old actually did need a spelling program!

 

So I flit between the boards. Anyone else feeling a little personally confused? Come here and tell us all about you and your "somewhere between" kids!

 

**sprinkling safe zone fairy dust** - everyone be kind! :001_smile:

 

Yes, I understand exactly what you mean. I know my dd is only 5 and is only as mature as a 5 year old is. But she's asking to do school, reads on a 2/3 grade level, is frustrated because she "can't write because she can't spell," and wants to know everything NOW! :D I haven't had her evaluated, though there are gifted people in our extended family, and really don't intend to. She won't be going to ps for elementary and they are the only ones who have gifted programs, so what would be the point in testing since it won't change the way I teach her. And try asking for literature that is suitable for younger sensibilities and yet challenges her vocabulary. :confused: It can be frustrating.

 

I must say, though, I feel very welcome here and have gotten a lot of good information. Enough that I started reading WTM and think I may have found my Holy Grail of homeschooling curriculum! :lol: It's challenging enough to suit us and yet flexible enough that I think it will suit her age.

[rowan25]

I could have written the same post. So apparently you aren't the only one. So you aren't THAT special. LOL I'm kidding. :D But really, I am at a similar place. My son works well above grade level, but what do I know about whether or not he is "gifted". So what if he is or isn't. I'm doing what works for him and I'm not worrying about it. I have learned a lot on all of the sections of this board. Even the bilingual education board. I didn't even read that board. And duh, I forgot that DH only speaks German to the kids. So I guess that makes us bilingual around here. So apparently I'm in a fog or something. :smilielol5:

 

That was rather rambly, but I think I do "get" what you mean and often feel the same. I take the advice that makes sense and is useful to me. I've learned a lot here.

:rofl: