I think we get that for size Kimck! People tend to expect more from taller/bigger kids. Ironically the new 4th grade teacher was very tall herself, and was one of the few who could see past the height.

I totally agree about the system being broke!!! Teachers hands are tied, and I've taken to being happy with just "less work" at this point. DS gets to skip a lot of the rote stuff his class does because he aces all the tests. This at least keeps his motivation high.

The size one is good too. People are so weird! My son is a shrimp, so he's got that going for him. I've seen very little correlation between academic achievement and chrological age within grades. Behavoir - yes. Achievement - no. And size? I'm pretty sure there'd be no scientific correlation there! I'm surprised teachers feel this way. They must get kids of all size every year at all different levels. That seems really unprofessional.

Getting rid of rote stuff is a great plan. <filing that for later>

In our small town people do notice my 9 year old son's giftedness because he is very articulate and his intelligence shows in his speech and the comments and jokes he likes to make about what is currently happening in the news. We have been asked more than once by people in town when we would let him go to college. They also ask me what grade levels he is "really" working at when I tell them he would be in fourth grade by age.

His musical theater teacher noticed the giftedness when he was four and this is why she gave him several hundred words of script to memorize in addition to the songs he had to learn from "Babes in Arms." I don't think the bright four year olds that are currently in our group would be able to do this.

It is only when he has to do physical activities where he is not able to talk that people don't see the giftedness. He is definitely not physically gifted. It is hard for him when the choreographer and acting teacher tell him they think he is not trying when he is in fact trying very hard, but having to compensate for a mild physical differences for which he has never had any kind of physical or occupational therapy.

kimck: ds is also a shrimp -- not teeny, but on the small side for sure, and a May birthday. Not getting us anywhere!

I think it's absolutely true that teachers often don't recognize giftedness, not least because they have a million children to be watching. That's not necessarily their fault. On the other hand, if a gifted child is brought to their attention, with testing, and they still refuse to do anything, believing not that the child is gifted but slightly advanced or hothoused ... that's the tragedy for these kids, I think. The school district has to weed out the "bright" from the "gifted," and it seems like (at our school at least), they're throwing the baby out with the bath water.