Giftedness
Let’s face it - public school is geared toward the middle of the intelligence spectrum. So if your child falls on either end of that spectrum most of the curriculum won’t satisfy their needs. Most schools have scaffolds in place for our kids who would be considered at the lower end of the spectrum. Public schools work hard to get kids up to grade level - up to the middle.
I’ll be the first to admit that in public schools there is not enough done for our kids who are at the upper end of that range. There are teachers that are great at differentiating for higher level thinkers. Maybe they do other activities, move through the work faster, build in challenges but it’s often at the discretion of the teacher - does the teacher have time or energy for this. 🤷♀️
I’d also like to point out that just because your child is bored at school - that does not automatically mean they must be gifted. I’ve seen many kids who actually were unable to dig into the curriculum because of other underlying issues. It may be worth just a quick check on:
Hearing or visual issues - I’ve always been amazing at how well kids can adapt - but it’s hard to adapt if the teacher sits you in the back of the classroom and you can’t read the board.
Dyslexia or Dysgraphia - if numbers or letters get mixed up when you look at them or write them keeping up would be a challenge.
Executive functioning issues - this can come up for children (or adults) if they have a challenge when organizing thoughts. Taking what they hear or see and organizing those thoughts in their head.
Attention issues - maybe your child is dealing with some attention issues that just makes their mind wander and unable to focus. (Underlying anxiety?)
Very often our kids don’t know how to express these challenges or likely it’s something they have learned to adapt to. However, as the class gets more challenging their coping mechanism may be to say that they are bored, to check out, not wanting to disappoint anyone. Of course - a good classroom teacher will see something not clicking - but even I have missed these things and am always glad there’s a team beyond just me!
Ok - so you’ve checked and none of these are the problem. They’re just bored. The curriculum isn’t challenging. So how can you help your little one engaged in school? How do you keep them buying into the importance of school? AND more importantly how the heck do you make sure they are getting challenged so they learn grit and determination when they are young so they know how to handle it? (Cuz if life is always SO easy, we get a little melty when it challenges us if we’ve never proven to ourselves that we can handle tough stuff.)
Communication with the classroom teacher - Let’s start with the first conversation with the classroom teacher. Please reach out - don’t let the year begin without giving them heads up. Telling a teacher that your child is bored in their class 2 months into the year doesn’t always go super well. BUT telling a teacher that they are really strong in math or reading and it’s possible they may need a little more challenge. You can relate to the teacher that in years past it shows up as them checking out or appearing bored.
Self - advocacy - Teaching your child how to be a respectful self advocate is a great place to start. Helping them to speak to their classroom teacher about getting extra work or taking the assignment to the next level is fantastic. However, parents of most gifted kids know that they won’t ask for extra - they will do the minimum amount asked. So encouraging them to ask for more may backfire. BUT self advocacy will benefit them in high school and beyond, start young with some scripts to practice with you and then on to the teacher.
Outside academics – When your child’s homework comes home or you know of a topic that is being studied at school you may need to be the one that helps them to take their learning to the next level. Make it experiential learning - taking them to a museum or other “field trips” that can push the learning. Add in other modes - have them add a visual arts component to the unit on photosynthesis or go for a hike on a section of the Oregon Trail while studying human migration. Show them that learning can be beyond the classroom and it can be so much deeper than what can be studied in a few hours in the classroom.
Extracurricular activities - It may come down to you to find areas that actually challenge your kiddo. Maybe all areas of academics are simply easy for them. So you may have to challenge them in other areas. Sign them up for a ropes course, a mapping course, an art class, anything really that will push them a little. If your gifted child is also a perfectionist then make sure the extra course is low stakes. That making mistakes is ok and even welcomed.
School to meet your child’s needs - Don’t be afraid to look into schools that may accommodate and push your child’s learning. Oftentimes, even public schools, have a magnet school or other program that has a certain focus that may help keep your kiddo interested.
When it comes down to it -when our kids are truly gifted, the general public school classroom might just be boring for them. (Remember there are 27 or more other kids in there that the teacher is also accommodating for.) It may be up to you to put in the extra time to keep them challenged. Find something that does challenge them so that they have an opportunity to push themselves, challenge themselves and trust themselves. When they finally come to a situation that causes some adversity you will be so glad you did.
You got this!!!
