We are also making the best out of a Montessori school situation. Although it's not a classroom utopia I highly agree with the statement that it's about the teacher and not as much about the school. My son has asked and receiving harder work.

Our most recent example is with the division board work that they recently brought out. The children get a piece of paper with 5 problem and they must solve them using bunnies and giving each bunny the correct amount of eggs to divide to total number of eggs equally. My son quickly grew tired of the repetitiveness of the activity and started asking the teacher for harder problems with remainders instead of doing the problems with whole number answers. This is one simple way that they are able to use the same materials for all the children but make my son's more challenging.

*On a side note I am doing a happy dance since finding out that the one teacher who doesn't really get my son is leaving at the end of May. That was one of the hold ups about sending him there for next year. Since it was a small school with only 3 teachers--this one teacher was weighing heavily on my decision.

You are crushing all my easy plans Kriston!!

...although I had a feeling someone would probably pipe up and tell me this.

We actually have a Montessori school near our neighborhood that sounds very good. My mom works in the school district here (she was a teacher for about 15 years and now she is a "coach" for the teachers). Several coaches and teachers that she works with send their kids to this Montessori and they love it. Granted, I don't think their children are at the level my son is at, but it is somewhat encouraging to me. I really don't know what to think.

One of my friends at work has a 12yo daughter that they just found out is PG. She knew all along that she was different, but never knew how different she really was. She is strongly encouraging me everyday to start thinking about these things and researching possibilities. It seems like so much to think about when my son is only 2 1/2.

You all don't know how much you have helped me already, and I will continue to come back for more! As we delve further into this process I am sure I will have lots of questions to ask, so thanks for the offer Kriston.

Yes, yes, yes. *raises hand, waving wildly* Ahem.

The school thing absolutely scares me to death. To. Death. For all the reasons Kriston went into.

Right now, I work full-time and Graham goes to a Goddard School...which is an private daycare/school that is NOT entirely play based. They do a bit of academic curriculum with the kids and actually have a certified private Kindergarten. I have met with the directors and we have had very frank discussions about Graham. They seem confident that they and their teachers can do a differentiated curriculum for him beginning this fall (they are about to go into Summer Camp mode which is play and field trips and not much academics at all). The school tells me that they had a GT student go through their Kindergarten class several years ago and have had experience doing differentiated plans for GT kids. My plan is to ask for that student's parents name/number and try and talk with them about their child's experience at this school.

It's all so overwhelming and school decisions seem so far away, but they are not at all. I need to wrap my brain around the fact that he's not my wee baby anymore and figure out what to do.

It's overwhelming.

I am so glad I am not the only "crazy mom" freaking out about school that is still 2 years away. DH and I were actually going to try to conceive another this fall, but have put those plans on hold until we have a better grasp of what we are going to do with schooling for DS. It feels a bit extreme, but we finally came to the conclusion that DS makes our life a bit extreme!

Oh, I really, REALLY hate to be the one to stomp all over your safe little GT denial! BTDT, and coming out of the comfort of that denial into the cold light of reality is no fun!

But let me reassure you that you are SO MUCH FURTHER AHEAD than I was! When DS6 was 2.5yo, I was nowhere near realizing what was up with him. I thought he was "just" MG and would be easy to guide through school. But knowing what you're in for is really half the battle. You can be prepared. I wasn't. Honest, you're doing great, mamabird! (And you, too, Catherine!)

My best advice is to talk to the school a LOT! Ask a lot of questions and listen hard for what they're not saying. Visit the school more than once. Don't accept the pat answers that all schools like to give out.

Once you've developed a good repoire with the school, bring up the verboten topic of GTness in a vague way. Ask if they have had kids who are well ahead of their curriculum in the past and can you talk to the parents of those kids. Don't start here, and only introduce the word GT to the discussion when you've found out all else that you need to know, since many educators brand you as "one of those parents" and tune you out immediately when you say the word GT. Sad, but true.

I did really none of these things, and it's why we had the trouble we had with pre-K. DS6 still enjoyed preschool, so it's not like it was a total loss. It was mostly social for him, and that was useful. But I wish I had come out of my GT denial earlier, and I wish that someone had given me the advice I just gave you.

You two are doing great! Don't let my gentle cautions worry you.

I 2nd Kriston's vote. You 2 are WAY ahead of the game! Just take it 1 day at a time. And I know this has been said before on this board, but it really seems to think best in 6 month segments of time. Even schools themselves can change a lot in 2-3 years.

And siblings make great peer playmates! DS7 and DD3.5 are great together (most of the time anyway). They really "get" each other. When #2 was born, it was definitely time for DS to no longer be the "center of the universe".

I was going to post this in the "cool stories" thread, but decided that due to the denial in my previous post it would be appropriate to post it here.

My son's daycare lady has her late husbands old rusty truck parked on the side of her driveway at her house. Last week DS2.5 goes running into her house and says, "Oh no B, you need to get your truck out of the rain!! Your wheels are oxidizing."

I have to remind myself of these things when I am having my denial moments!