How do i get the school to listen to me?

[Turkish Delight]

Yeah, one hour Lulu. He does have a lot of homework from the school but completes a section within 10 minutes and then we do revision or he does a few extra units from the following weeks. We break up his homework so he does some of it each night. Or else he spends the 5 hours between after school and bedtime listening to his Ipod or on his PSP which i think is way too much.

We went to Toys R Us last weekend and saw an experiment kit and a mobile solar system. We brought him the solar system as he is so interested in space at the moment and were contemplating on buying the experiment kit in a few weeks. We told him about the science kit and his eyes lit up. I guess i'll be buying it sooner rather than later.

I'm not after anything special, just instead of doing grade 3 maths and english he could do grade 4 or 5. His report at the end of last year showed him as havig the skills at working at the upper end of grade 4 maths and english (in grade 2 or IRL in grade 1). Even if he is doing this extended learning now in school , i want to see it come through on his homework as well. I really don't think this would cost too much money.

[Lulu]

Have you got a National Geographic shop around? They are sooooooo cool, and have heaps of experiments and models etc.

If he is listening to his Ipod so much, why don't you load it with a second (or 3rd if he's already bilingual!) language - try Icelandic or Dutch if you want something hard!!

There is a school close to me that does all their other classes in the ESL language chosen, that keeps most of the little buggers full!

[Lulu]

What are you going to do long term Turk?
If he does go ahead they way you want, he will finish primary school in grade 4-5. What would happen then?
Are there any High schools local with gifted programs in place already?

[Lukesmum]

Even the Year 5 Opportuntiy Classes would be something to look at if there are any in your area. Sorry I didn't check what state you are in. That is for NSW.

[tk1999]

If you can afford it maybe look into a private tutor who is a school teacher and can set him tasks at the higher grades curriculum. My best friend is a primary school teacher and has done this for a few families where she lives as the rule is that you can't tutor kids at your school because it could be seen as a conflict of interest.

She writes up homework tasks that fit in with the higher classes curriculum but doesn't cover the whole thing as otherwise your DS will get bored next year when he does that stuff in class - or they may be able to set harder tasks on the topics he is currently studying at school.

My best friend doesn't charge too much for her tutoring services but as the teacher sets their own rate there are some teachers out there that charge too much. Could you look into something like this?

[Muppity]

I don't know where you are but NSW have as association for gifted and talented children (just google it) which offers advice and support for parents as well as advocacy and runs their own programs in the afternoon and on weekends.

I can imagine that each state would have a similar organisation.

I think that you have to be proactive in the education of your DS and not just rely on the school to provide a special program.

To play the devil's advocate for a moment - why should your kid get special treatment at school and get more resources spent on them than others? Lets imagine that there was a kid there who was brilliant at basket ball - should the school employ a special coach for them and write a special sports curriculum so that they can oneday play for the NRL. No, it just wouldn't happen, the parents would be the ones paying for speical lessons and taking the child all over town to play games and buying uniforms and paying for camps etc - noone would be expecting the sports curriculum to be rewritten just becuase little Susie didn't like playing hockey.

Schools have very limited resources and I personally think that while there are many truly wonderful and dedicated teachers in our schools in Australia if you want more than they are able to offer then you have to go out and find it for yourself. Please also try to remember that if they are setting different homework for kids then it is twice as much work the the teacher. They have to come up with two entire sets - one for the class and one for your DS and then there is also the marking at the other end - it is much easier to mark 20 the same.

Maybe try to make the books that you have bought more fun - if he was inspired by them he would be sitting down and doing them himself without being conjoled into it - or give them to his teacher and ask them to give them to him. That way he is doing more work, he thinks that it is homework, you can mark it for him so as not to increase the work the the teacher and everyone seems to win.

[Turkish Delight]

grrrrrrrrr. i just lost a post.

He already is learning Turkish at his current school as a second language and is also learning Spanish on the weekends at the Victorian School of Languages. So he'll have 3 languages. He likes learning Spanish, so it's not like i'm forcing him to go. I'll upload some Spanish phrases or something onto his Ipod for him to learn. Good idea Lulu.

I'll have to take him shopping one day soon as he really loves the National Geographic shop but we don't spend much time in there as DD plays up and its more like quick into Safeway/Coles, the bakery and out again. We'll leave DD with DH and go together.

I'll have to ask him as to whether he finishes the work in the class and just sits there or if the teacher gives him other work to go on with. I really need to speak to the teacher to find out what she is doing with him.

Re: the tutoring. I guess i'll have to research that one to find how much teachers charge per session. TK1999, how much does your friend charge, just so it gives me a ballpark figure.

RE: the longterm... I would like to get him to sit entrance exams into Haileybury or someother good private school when he reaches year 7. I wish i had the $20k to spend each year on his education.

Muppity, you are so right in your example. Nothing more to say!

[tk1999]

Depending on what the parents and child's needs are (ie what year level work is she looking at), how far it is out of her normal travel (ie petrol costs but this was mainly during the $1.50/L days), how many sessions per week (ie the more sessions the lower the rate) - she might charge anywhere between $20-$60 an hour. I think she has only charged one family $60 per hour as they only wanted one session each fortnight and were about 30km out of her way... from memory (I forgot to ask her when I was on the phone to her) it was prior to the Basic Skills Test that is done in Year 3/4 here in NSW.

One of her colleagues charges a flat rate of $70 an hour regardless of what level work it is or how often it is per week... I think that is a bit over the top but each to their own.

[Lulu]

Turk, don't worry about weather its a private school or not, look for the ones that already have accelerated programs.

Bugger the cost - he WILL get an academic scholarship no matter where you send him! Haileybury seems to roll out all the good lookin ones too

Does Caulfield Grammar have a campus out your way too, I have a feeling they have programs in place.

[Inertia]

I don't know where you are but NSW have as association for gifted and talented children (just google it) which offers advice and support for parents as well as advocacy and runs their own programs in the afternoon and on weekends.

I can absolutely attest for how fantastic the NSWAGTC is. There is other services in other states, as well as an Australian association, but NSWAGTC is by far the most organised service in the country. People in SEQLD become members and travel across the border to tweed to participate - the service is simply that much better.

Now, my kids school does have Opportunity Classes. Its a wonderful school - but the OC doesnt start until year 5, and its not helpful as two of my kids have already been bored out of school by kindy. Yes - painting and colouring in is fun - but boooooooooooring. They shot through the reading levels in the first half of the year, and then stagnated - which is where the problem of ignoring giftedness starts. Lyta used to get so bored of the standard work that when she finished and had to "sit and wait" she got up and went wandering through the school visiting her siblings in the middle of class! The teacher never even noticed her leave..

Instead the school does now have PLPs for every student. Both my kids are Visual-Spatial, so that changes how we approach their learning. This is where while I can see Muppity's point, I am going to have to disagree. If they are not taking into account the different ways that children learn - then some children are not learning. I certainly understand schools have finite funding and are doing what they can - but just like medicine - that's no reason for them not to grow, change and become a better service to all students - not just the average. You dont go to a doctor with lung cancer and walk away with amoxycillian because on average, they mostly see people with flu's. You get care tailored to your needs. It may take time, but children deserve the same in an educational setting.