grade level

Today we were asked twice what grade level Z is in.

The first time it was at the grocery and the bagger saw her pushing the cart and he said "What grade is she in?!" and I said "First grade" and he said "Wow, she's smart!"

Now I don't know what being smart has to do with pushing a grocery cart and I didn't ask. But Z asked me once we were out of earshot 'Why did you say I'm in first?"

"Because he actually only wanted to know what age you are."

She nodded and seemed okay with that.

But later this afternoon she was playing with two girls in the pool. One is six and one is seven. Z came over to me and said that the seven year old said that Z couldn't be in fourth grade because you have to be ten to be in fourth grade. The seven year old was right there so I said to her,"Well we homeschool so Z can work at whatever grade she is ready for. Right now she is doing fourth grade math and between fourth and sixth for other classes."

Then I asked her if she knew what homeschooling was. She nodded and said "I wish I could home school."

But then the two girls cornered Z and started quizzing her "What's 1000 plus 1000?"

Kind of laughing, possibly with the strangeness of the question, Z says "2000"

Then there was two thousand plus one hundred, and One million plus two million! and even "What is one thousand plus a million thousand hundred?!"

Z was laughing kind of uncomfortably and answering all their questions. I let it go on because I wanted Z to get a taste of what the reaction can be if you tell people that you are six and in fourth grade. I had told her before that some people will have strange and possilby negative reactions to it.

Also at the library today the story time lady who is there to read to individual kids read Z a Maisy book and a book about puppies. Z definitely looks like a six year old and I was surprised that she would try to read Z a touch and feel puppy book. Again I didn't say anything. Z seemed capable of handling it herself. Usually she gets a sticker for reading to the story time people herself, but this lady is new. She was nice and I appreciate what she is doing. I am not trying to take anything away from that. It just wasn't working for us and I wonder what kind of books they read to kids in first grade.

I'll have to talk to Z tonight and see how she feels about all that.

*update*
I talked to her over dinner and this is what I think. Z has such profound confidence in her own self-worth that if someone treats her strangely she thinks theat's their problem. And then she doesn't really think about it again. I have written before about Z's world". Well, in Z's world everybody likes her and if they don't then they must be having an off day. *wink*