Last day of 7 years old.

223, originally uploaded by megan bauer.

This photo was taken yesterday. It was Owen's last day of being 7. I'm having a HARD time thinking about the number 8. As he has reminded me, over and over and over, in 10 years he will be voting FOR REAL! I'm having a rough week, too, w/ lots of big decisions to make. As many of you know, I have been searching everyone's brains for different thoughts and opinions. I tend to be one of those people who like to listen to many different points of view before making a decision (remember my baby name poll?). Anyway, I'm going to share the story and if you have a thought....I'd LOVE to hear it. I went to Owen's parent teacher conference last week. I knew that he was doing well in school and I was prepared to talk to the teacher about his complaints of being bored. We seem to be having this conversation w/ every teacher he gets. I had told his teacher my concerns a few weeks ago and so he was prepared. What I wasn't completely prepared for was the different solution options he gave me. Let me start from the beginning: Owen is somewhat bizarre (as many of you know). He LOVES workbooks (and has been doing them religiously since he was three). He LOVES to talk and is WAY more comfortable w/ adults and older children then his peers. He doesn't have ANY super great friends (he invited NO ONE from his class to his birthday party), but his teacher called him a "floater" - meaning he floats around the room playing w/ everyone. More importantly, he doesn't CARE! I can put him in any situation, any class, and he could not know a single person in the room and it doesn't bother him. He's mega confident in his own skin and loves to perform and be the center of attention (remember him as Tiny Tim?). And, he's a RULE FOLLOWER. He can not fathom why anyone would not listen to the "rules". He has lists for everything and has a notebook filled w/ different lists (remember the hurricane one?) . His new list is a graph of all the different boy/girl names he can think of and how many start w/ each letter. I remember him doing a "how many people speak different languages" graph last year. He's a master litigator and argues EVERYTHING w/ me. Unfortunately, he often has good points and I have to listen to his reasoning. And, he tends to have OCD tendencies. His obsession w/ soccer started 2 years ago w/ no signs of fading. He would choose learning or workbooks over playing (unless it was soccer). He's an old soul.
OK...back to the story. His teacher told me that at the beginning of the year his reading was at a 30. 2nd graders are expected to be at a 28 by the end of the year, so he's way ahead there. And reading is his WORST subject. He's really a math and science kid. And, I know there are MANY very bright kids in elementary school, but the problem is he is DEMANDING MORE! He is major irritated when kids in his class are off task and he finishes all of his assignments really early, so then he goes to the computer to do work or he walks around helping other students. He rarely brings home homework. And, he's bothered. He wants to be learning more. He complains.

Solutions as posed by Owen's teacher: skipping a grade, homeschooling, private school, or nothing.

This is Eddie and my big debate right now.

Skipping a grade. His teacher thought this was a possibility and Owen would do fine (keep in mind that the cut off is December 1 here, so technically he could be in third grade, anyway. Although, he would then start college at 17, be a college senior at 16, etc.). The problem w/ this per the teacher is that the third grade class is WILD. And, Owen would be SUPER bothered by their inability to focus.

Homeschooling. OK...I have some homeschooling friends that read this. Thoughts? My initial thought is NO WAY. I don't think I can do this. I'm fairly certain I wouldn't be any good at it.

Private School. There is a private school in Syracuse (MPH) that my dear neighbor has been telling me Owen belonged at since kindergarten. We are going to an open house there on Sunday. It sounds like a great fit for him. Small class sizes (1:7). Spanish or French instruction starting in K (he LOVES the idea of learning Spanish!) And, because you have to test into the school, all the kids are bright and focused. They only accept a small amount each year and there's a huge criteria to get in: testing, dramatic art experience (which he has), has to play an instrument (he's been playing piano for 2 years), recommendations from current principle and teacher. I think we're going to check it out...he may not even get in. This sounds like the best fit, but OMG!!! MONEY! We're talking 14,000 a year! No joke! They offer financial aid packages, but seriously, how much financial aid would they have to give me to make it affordable???

Do nothing. I think his teacher is doing a good job w/ him now. He had him do a research project to the class (the only one in his class to do so), and he's pulling him out to do multiplication and extra reading. He's also sending him to the library if extra time permits to work on research projects w/ the librarian. And, he's going to be doing a power point presentation to the class soon. He has also assured me that there is a third grade teacher (for next year) that will push him hard and he will make sure he's in her class. Problem? His teacher is not tenured and he is out of the class ALL THE TIME! I mean 1-2 times per week at meetings, etc. Which means LOTS of subs and lots of doing NOTHING!

Oh, what to do, what to do. I'm trying to keep in perspective. Like maybe this isn't as big of a deal as I'm making it. But, I want to make the right decision for my child. I'm afraid that this huge desire to learn will diminish if I don't feed it. But, I also don't want the other kiddos to lose opportunities because all of our money is going to one AND I don't want to go into debt.


HELP! Do you have any suggestions? I'm taking any or all comments, ideas.......I know many of you have education backgrounds or your own personal experiences to share. Anything that might help me make a decision would be appreciated.

Final note: I've also been told that kids typically don't start to demand more until 6th gradeish...so if he's already bored and begging to learn more I really need to do something!