Tim and I met Book Boy’s teacher for conferences this afternoon. She went over his report card with us (it was excellent, as usual) and said he is “definitely ready for second grade, if not third.” He’s doing especially well in reading and math. Then she talked some more about how he’s doing in class, etc.
She told us that he recently told the other kids that the reason he’s “so smart in school” is because he’s not allowed to watch TV or play video games during the week. And then he told the other kids that they should do that do so they could do their best in school too.
His delivery may need a little work (yes, we’re working on modesty with him) but I think the kid may be on to something here! (Edited to add: BB clarified to Tim that he actually said that to the teacher, not to the other kids. Whew.)
And while I’m “editing to add,” what does it mean when a teacher says a kid is “definitely ready for second grade, if not third”? Was she trying to tempt us into asking about having BB skip second grade? She said it twice, obviously intentionally, but didn’t elaborate. Tim and I are in agreement that he should be just fine in second grade, so we didn’t pursue it. BB is definitely at the maturity level of his grade/age, plus growing up I knew several kids who had skipped a grade, and it didn’t always work out that well for them socially … I’m not going to ask her about it (“tell me again how smart my kid is, please!”) but still, I wonder just what she meant.
That is so awesome. Seriously. I would love to hear that at a conference. I think you are making the right decision to not skip a grade. It would be cool to brag about, but socially, not so cool. It wouldn’t be so fun being the youngest later on down the road (driver’s permit).
You must be so proud.
Maybe you should ask just to see what your options are?
I don’t know about your school but here they have combo classes. There is a normal 2nd grade class and then there is the combo 2nd and 3rd grade class. It gives a quick learning 2nd grader the chance to get a little more advanced work while still being with some kids his own age (and some older kids). They may not have exactly this at your school but maybe they have some other options like sending BB to the third grade class for math or reading so he doesn’t get bored.
Boredom can be as much of a problem for smart kids as too high of expectations for slower kids. Asking doesn’t mean you are commited to anything but at least you would know BB’s options.
Jolene, I hadn’t thought about things like drivers license (maybe because I didn’t get mine until 17 anyway) but that’s a very good point. Plus BB is one of the smallest kids in the class anyway, so he would really stick out in a higher grade.
Froglette, BB’s teacher actually said she recommended a specific second grade teacher for him because she thinks the teacher will challenge him, etc. We said that sounded great and asked how we could request a specific teacher. She said “I’ll make it happen.” So I think that’s a good place to start. If that’s not enough, we’ll go from there.
Sounds like you need to have him tested for giftedness.
Both my kids are the youngest kids in their class; #2 effectively skipped a grade. My husband was the youngest in our class. SOMEone has to be.
Things like being the last to drive may be a pain, but there’s SO much more to consider here. Is your child being educated at his intellectual level? Is he being stimulated by the class work, or would he benefit from a harder challenge?
Helping your child unleash his potential is much more important than being the last to drive, vote, or legally drink. A child working at his full intellectual potential can change the world. Isn’t that what you want to see your child do?