Oh magic eight ball parental advice giver. Should my super-intelligent, wiggle-worm daughter skip third grade?
Dear Old in Ohio,
I consulted with a few of my friends (OK, one friend who is also my husband), and we agreed that nothing major happens in the third grade. My friend and I remember learning one thing each that year. He learned how to spell "lettuce," which is kind of important, but not a question you'll get in a job interview or anything. I learned how to write in cursive, thank God, because I have used that skill every day of my adult life. Not.
Looking back, I think third grade was really just a catch-up year for the dumb kids before we took our standardized tests. So, academically speaking, your daughter should be fine skipping third grade.
However, let's look at that decision from a fiscal standpoint. Skipping third grade means your daughter will also do everything else a year earlier, including going to college. I used my massive intelligence (for which I give third grade no credit) and this handy online calculator to estimate the cost of college in 2018, the year your precious little poopkin (Oh wait, that's Andy's kid) will enter college if she skips third grade. It was, like, a million bazillion dollars. So, pretend you are going to owe Harvard University a million bazillion dollars in nine years. Wouldn't you rather give yourself one more year to save money, earn compound interest and enjoy your house/boat/car/kidneys before you have to sell them? It's definitely something to take into consideration.
Sincerely,
A Wordy Girl
P.S. Will Wordy Girl give more excellent parenting advice as the week goes on? Signs point to yes.
Friday, April 24, 2009
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4 comments:
So sorry to hear your year in third grade was useless. Sounds like you needed an awesome third grade teacher....say, me for instance!!!! I have some advice about this topic, but it is only relevant if the person asking is attending school in Texas. Third grade is a very important year in this state, not only because it is the first year for standardized testing, which is another topic of discussion, but it is the year they learn to think outside of the box and on a higher level. At least that is the way I taught third grade.
One other point to consider is the maturity of the child. I have seen students skip grades who were super intelligent, but didn't fit in with the other kids because they just weren't mature enough. Social acceptance is very important to kids, much more than intelligence.
I agree with My 3 Sons, third grade is important here as well. And, what's the rush? Childhood is so short as it is, third grade is one of the last really fun years in school where the students still enjoy going to school. The child may be super smart and mature for his/her age but the parents may just want to try challenging their student more while staying with students their own age. Have a talk with the teacher and see if the child can be given some advanced assignments so he/she doesn't get bored.
Just to clarify - advancing the child was not our idea. We were meeting with the teacher and principal and others to see what we could do about her behavior and performance when they suggested that part of the problem might be that she is not placed properly. Tests revealed that if she were in 4th grade right now, (with only a 2nd grade education) she would be in top third of her class. If she were in third grade she would be in the top 1 percent.
I haven't checked on her ability to spell "lettuce."
We honestly don't know what we will do. She is trying out third grade classes now and we have another big meeting (9 people from the school last time) at the end of May. I do appreciate the input.
Skipping 3rd grade does mean college a year earlier, and lest time to save. When we were at Mizzou, however, tuition went up 25% one year. So the earlier you go, the cheaper?
I knew someone who skipped a year in school and ended up fitting in better because this person was way, way, way above the rest of the class.
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