Recently, when someone noticed that my 6 year old is doing fractions (with horror, I might add), she told me it's really beyond him. She continued to make assumptions "He'd only be in 1st grade if he was in school, right?" um no, kindergarten.She went so far as to rip a piece of paper in half and say "This is the kind of fractions they do at his level.
It put my insides through the ringer. Anger, defensiveness, and doubt. Lots of doubt.
Anger: Why do you think he's not capable? Who are you to judge what my son is or is not capable of. Or to judge his level. It was exactly because I knew he was too ahead of Kindergarten that I knew sending him to public school would not make for a good fit.
Realizing I didn't want to be so confrontational, Defensive stepped in.
Defensive: I've worked hard at finding a curriculum he likes and let him go at his own pace.
Defensive was met with woman looking away and shrugging acquiescence.
Which brought in Doubt. Oh my good friend Doubt. AM I pushing? Does he really NOT understand fractions? I'll admit doubt had a little trouble swallowing this as we are on Chapter 22, but not so much that I didn't skip book work in favor of an oral review during which I made him tell me everything he knows. I hope this came off more as conversation than interrogation, but I don't think it's likely. I am looking to live in the balance between challenging and realistic. I should thank this woman for her rude reaction, because after I sorted it all out. I'm feeling we're right where we should be.