Bored with school after 3 weeks

My DS started school at the beginning of the year. It has only been 3.5 weeks and already he is saying he doesn't want to go and that he isn't learning enough there.

He is classed as gifted. His reading level is what would be expected at the start of Year 3. His writing and spelling is ahead of the other kids but not equal to his reading. I am not sure how much maths they have done but I am pretty sure he is ahead in that as well.

I can't tell if he is not being challenged by the work that he is being given, or if he is just wanting to learn things more exciting than spelling lists. He says that they spend too much time playing games and having breaks and not enough time actually learning anything. He is a kid that likes to get deeply engaged in an activity, not chop and change every 10 minutes as the teacher cycles through all the various group levels. I am picking that he would only be counting learning time as when the teacher is actively with him or doing class lessons - all the other literacy/numeracy activities they do while the teacher is with other groups would just be time fillers for him itms.

His teacher says he is happy and chatty in class and he has settled in really well but I am finding it really sad seeing him already lose that enthusiasm that he had just a few weeks ago.

Is it normal for kids to hit a slump when the novelty of school runs out?

If he is that far ahead of the other kids, then it doesn't surprise me that he is bored. Maybe you could talk with the school about providing him extra work to do after he has finished the class tasks. (ie, some more advanced workbooks to work through to occupy and challenge him a bit more after he has completed the class work). That's what my teachers always done with me through school.

My DD was sent up to a grade one class for reading groups when she was in prep. Maybe that's an option?

Also, DD said the same thing, ' when are we going to do proper learning?' But I told her to make the most of it and after a while she was happy to go with the flow. She isn't 'gifted' though just ahead of the others in her class I think she was reading at grade 1 level middle of prep. So your son might need something extra.

I'm a teacher. At our school we have some lessons (literacy mainly) where all the kids from a few classes are 'pooled' together and each teacher takes a different ability group. Does that occur at your school? If not, perhaps the teacher isn't really extending him yet. I would imagine a lot of other new kids are having a harder time settling in and are behind in what they should know, so maybe the teacher thinks he is one of the 'easy' ones as in he can do the work without help and hasn't pushed him to learn new things yet. Perhaps chat with the teacher and ask what is being done to extend his learning?

When I was in grade 1 I was ahead of all the other kids in a similar manner. So they organized for me to do some year two work, which apparently kept me more interested. This was a loooong time ago but maybe the teacher could do something similar?

This might sound silly but is the school capable of handling a gifted child?

I would be chatting with his teacher to voice concerns.

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This might sound silly but is the school capable of handling a gifted child?

I would be chatting with his teacher to voice concerns.

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That's not silly at all. I would say not all teachers are equipped. Many could just think they have an 'easy' child in their class who doesn't need help to do the set work.

Thanks. I had a chat to the principal last year after the kindy teachers sent me over to warn him that DS was coming. He said they have an out of class extension programme for gifted kids and it was an area of special interest for him. I talked to the teacher prior to the school year starting and she is very excited about having him but I think that the reality of having a child so ahead of the others is not as easy in practice.

So back to talk to the teacher? I don't want to be *that* mother who is always at school bothering the teacher - I have been in a few times already to check how he is settling in etc.

Could it be that his teacher is getting him settled and used to the school routine before giving him extension work?
If he is that far ahead of the others have you thought about putting him up a year at school? I guess that may have other challenges (ie. fitting in socially, maturity etc) but at least the kids might be a bit closer to his level of literacy?

I wouldn't worry about bothering the teacher again hun. Your DS is your priority and if he's losing enthusiasm or something isn't quite right then definitely act upon it xo

I would seriously think twice about putting him up a year level. Socially he would not cope at all. Does the school have a psychologist or someone they refer to?

Starting school is a huge transition, for kids as well as teachers and I would think that at most schools in prep, the first few weeks are getting the kids used to routines and the way school "works", rather than jumping straight into extension programs. I would be chatting to the teacher about your concerns but also recognising that it is only week 3 and if you were halfway though term 2 and he still wasn't working in like ability groups and being challenged in reading etc. that it would be an issue. I know some of the schools I have taught at over the last few weeks haven't even established their reading groups yet as preps have Wednesdays off for teachers to do their literacy testing and work out where kids are at.

I would also explain to your DS that it will get harder and trickier but that at the moment it is all about making friends, getting used to the timetable, playing games (particularly if it's a play based school) and to just enjoy it! Many schools stream kids in reading according to ability as well as maths so maybe ask if that is case and when that will begin. I know they are starting that at DD's school in prep towards the end of this term.

Thanks. I did wonder if it was a start of the year thing, but I am worried that if he decides he doesn't like school then it is going to be an uphill battle itms. I am probably overreacting because I am sick and have a million things I should be doing and then this.

Ginger, grade skipping isn't an option we would consider at this point :)

Tan, the school is a small one, there is only one Year 1 class so there won't be any streaming. So far he is in his own reading group and he said today that he is in a maths group with just him :(

Nothing is ever easy.

Another thing that could help with the isolation of being in his own group is he could act like a mentor to another group. Sometimes my DD would be in charge of helping the others in a group.

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Tan, the school is a small one, there is only one Year 1 class so there won't be any streaming. So far he is in his own reading group and he said today that he is in a maths group with just him

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Oh ok hun, in that case I would still have a chat to the teacher to let her know where you are at with your concerns with the knowledge that it is still early in the year but don't want it to set a precedent for him for the rest of the year. Good luck hun it is hard and being a smaller school can be challenging but could also work well for him if the school handles it well. xoxox

Arte, this was always going to be the problem with him when he started school. Unfortunately, he is going to have to learn that school doesn't move at his pace, and that he will have to adjust to the flow of school. I wouldn't be upset that he is the only one in his reading and maths 'group' - that shows that he's going to get work to his ability when they are doing maths and literacy activities. And of course he will be the only one in that group because no one else would even be close to where he is up to. It sounds to me like the reality of school has set in for him. he's never really spent this much time there in a formal school setting (remembering that kinder is nothing like school, even if they spend time there) and now the excitement has settled, he doesn't like it. The first few weeks, heck, even the first term of school for kids in their first year of school is pretty full on with assessing where all the kids are at and starting them off on their learning. I think his issues are going to be his undoing. He probably can't understand that school has a routine and that it changes often, and that being taught doesn't always mean having the teacher's undivided attention all the time and that learning has to be done at a pace that suits the majority of the class, not just him. I would talk to the teacher and maybe the Dr/OT (is that who is was?) and try to come up with some strategies for him to help him adjust to the change of pace and the routine of school. You know he's never been a kid that has adjusted easily to change and i can imagine that the regular changes in lessons and breaks etc would be getting to him. Ask his teacher if she can have some other type of activity for him as a 'fast finisher' so he can do that while she is helping the other kids finish their work. And I'd be following up on the principals gifted program as well.

How have things been the last few weeks hun??

Actually things are really awesome! Thanks for asking :)

He has settled in really well. No more complaining about being bored. I know it can change quite quickly but for now he is the best and happiest he has ever been. People have commented to me that they see him biking to school with a smile or singing a little song lol.

He is really happy. It is so nice to see. He shines with confidence.

Given that things are going so well, I haven't talked to the teacher yet. She seems to be doing what is needed. He is progressing through the spelling lists and is much more fluent at reading than he was a month ago.

Awesome to hear!! I think it's normal for them to go through stages where they like it better than other times! Glad to hear he is doing well xxx