If you don't want to listen to what i say then go to the Principal's Office

you may be gifted but it doesn't matter if you don't know how to listen.

Just sit down and color.

This coming from a second grader - assign them something more challenging. If they feel the work is simple they will lose interest and begin 'finding' other things to keep their brain occupied.

Response: "Yes you're right. If you wish to invent something in your own time, go for it. School however is more about indoctrination than invention. It may not be fair. It may not be right but it is the way it is. We do not, contrary to what people wrongly believe, live in a 'free' society."

The gifted child is in the wrong class. He/she needs to be in a class in which the teacher encourages independent thought, not one in which the teacher prefers conformity, staying inside the lines and not making waves..that teacher is the wrong teacher for gifted children! :(

I have to say that's rather impressive logic and I'd give him the credit for it. But I'd also explain that it's important to be very sure of the basics before you move ahead. We had to invent the wheel and make sure it worked properly before we invented the motor car, because otherwise the car wouldn't have worked properly.

When a new way of teaching 2nd grade has been invented let me know, till then, understand that gifted children know when to listen.

"That's absolutely true, but right now we're not inventing anything and I can't answer any questions that you have about the material that you're doing, since I have to help the other kids catch up. What would be great would be if you could help (insert student name that's struggling a little) figure out the work. The sooner everyone gets it, the sooner we can move to where you are."

As a teacher of High School students I see dozens of kids with great potential who never adopted the old maxim of creation being 5% inspiration, 95% perspiration. They are, at best, mediocre academically. If you want to pander to his giftedness, tell him to take cress seeds (or something else which sprouts easily and grows into a shoot, like alfalfa) and put them into two groups on pads of damp cotton wool. Put one in the light and one under a cup with a small hole for light. Keep the pads moist and watch for a few days until the cress has grown. The shoots in the dark cup will be much taller and have grown faster, all by themselves using only the resources in the seed. However they will be sick and yellow and unable to thrive. I'm sure you could build an analogy there ; ) <edit> I actually run a gifted and talented programme at my school. The kids love it because they are stretched, and often choose a self-directed activity. They also understand that I'm the teacher, and that my activities are designed to benefit them. My analogy points to the too common situation of a child who is gifted but who doesn't accept that that means they have to work hard to scale higher heights than their peers. <edit><edit> I've also noticed that when I use these interesting and challenging activities with my 'normal' classes, that they suddenly seem a whole lot more gifted and talented than they used to! : )

If a 2nd Grader said that I really would put him in a gifted class.

I am far from being a teacher but I would say..... I recognize you are a bright and gifted student and as soon as you learn to listen, we might do something about it. I would see about getting the child in a more challenging class ASAP.

I would say, "that is the right answer" and give him 5. I like that kid!

Were I that kid's teacher, I would: 1- Consider myself a very lucky teacher. 2- Try to explain to them that yes, the work they're doing is probably too easy for them, but that sometimes you have to work at things like that to make sure you can really have fun with the more interesting stuff. and 3- Try to set aside some time in my class schedule to let them try out some of that more interesting stuff, and see how well they seem to understand it to determine whether they'd be more at home in an advanced class.

Would you like to be President?

I would construct a little extra assignment for them to keep them challenged. If you don't keep gifted kids stimulated, they can become behavior problems from boredom. I would also let the department heads and administration know of the kid's progress so that if necessary, they can move the kid ahead or allow me to make more complex projects for the student.