Middle in the Middle

Today's post has nothing to do about fitness or food.

 This is Samantha, Mantha Mo.  She's an awesome kid.  She's my middle daughter.  She loves gymnastics, dance and anything outside.  She hates being inside.  She wants to be a vet when she grows up and work at a zoo.  She also wants to be a Rockette.  

I've known for a few years that she wasn't your average kid.  In second grade I had her tested for the Gifted Program.  In Florida, the Gifted Program is IQ based.  My oldest, Kaylee was tested when she was in second grade and accepted.  

When Mo was tested she scored in the middle of gifted and average.  This year, (2 years later) I had her tested again.  She scored a bit higher but still, in the middle.  Florida has a program called ACCEL (Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning.)  My daughter's school has no idea what it is or how to implement it.  

I'm tired of my middle child being stuck in the middle.  You want to know what the worst part of this whole thing is?  Knowing that if she was put in the Gifted class, she'd do fine.  She'd actually do really well.  A bored Mo isn't a good Mo.  A bored Mo doesn't try.  And my Mo is bored in school.  She gets good grades but, it's just because it's easy.  

Why am I telling you this?  Because of the fact that A) it pisses me off and B) I have decided that for the next 2 years I'm homeschooling my daughter.  For 5th and 6th grade (her last 2 years of elementary school) I'm keeping her home.  The homeschool curriculum (in my opinion) is the only option.  They offer accelerated learning, she can work at her own pace, and it can challenge her.  

You're probably wondering how she feels about this.  She actually WANTS to be homeschooled.  She wants to be challenged.  She wants to learn more, do harder work, work at her level.  Both times she got tested for Gifted she had her fingers and toes crossed that she made it in.  In class she finishes her work first and then helps the other kids.  This is the only solution.  

Occasionally she feels left out, unloved, all of the stereotypical "middle child" feelings.  She doesn't just feel that way at home, she feels that way at school.  She feels like there's nowhere for her, and she's getting passed by and forgotten.  

Why am I telling you this?  I really don't have a big reason.  I want to know that I'm not alone, I want to see if anybody else has had this issue and how they've dealt with it, I just need to get it off my chest.  

Side note:  Middle children are awesome.  Read this article on 18 PERKS to being a middle child