Parent-Teacher Conferences

It was Parent-Teacher Conference day for ALL three of my schooly kids!

James
Preschool parent-teacher conferences are kinda funny. He's doing well "academically" with shape, letter, number recognition and counting and writing. His teacher tells me he's happier this year and playing better with other kids. But. The last week has been an exception to that. Defiance. Outright refusal to clean up a block tower. The teacher was stunned to see James act this way. I told her things have been a little crazy at home with him this week, too. I felt impressed to ask if his friend had slighted him recently. It's not like James and this girl were inseparable in class, but she's really easy to play with and both my little boys LOVE playing with her (she goes to church with us, too). The teacher said this girl had recently been playing more with another classmate.

Ah, well, James is super, super, super, super, SUPER sensitive to social rejection. At home, if a kid tells him "no" or "stop" or "you can't play", he immediately lashes out in "bad guy" ways to get their attention. Or mine. He steals part of their game, sings loudly so other kids can't hear each other, or destroys something nearby. All without words. So, I think that's kinda what might be happening this week with James. My goal over the next few weeks is to help him develop a few new coping strategies for when that grouchy frustration starts eating him up. Gotta get that kid a few new tools in that emotional tool belt of his!

Robert
His teacher is new. She has 30 kids in her class. She can only meet with Robert's reading group twice a week instead of daily (more typical for this grade). This is a problem. Robert is doing fine academically, and I'm not worried there, but I'm worried about his teacher. I'm worried Robert is missing opportunities to stretch and grow. My goal for Robert over the next few weeks is to let the principal know that I'm concerned about 30 kids in his classroom with only one teacher.

Alice
Here's one thing about Alice's teacher: when he told me about Alice, he told me about WHO she was, not just how she was doing in school. Does that make sense? Other teachers haven't worried about her. They probably had bigger concerns than a kid who follows the rules and completes the assignments on time. And I'm pretty sure this teacher does, too, but he still knows and understands Alice better than her other teachers have to date. He tells me she is the most voracious reader he's seen in 5th grade over the last 5 years. He totally understands her timed-test anxiety. He knows she's sensitive about certain books and movies that other kids don't even notice. She reminded him of this when she learned they would be studying "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry together as a class. He asked if maybe she would need a different historical fiction to study instead. We talked about it and decided that the open structure and class discussion format might help her work through it better than if she were reading it on her own. He also warned me that they will be studying "Where the Red Fern Grows" next semester. Oh man. I don't remember anything about the book, but I sure do remember the end. Better buckle in! So, my goal for Alice in the next few weeks is to support her through "Number the Stars." Fingers crossed for no nightmares or sleepless nights. And Alice only has 24 kids in her class. Her teacher tells me that's less than he's used to and it's a pretty good group that works well together. Yay!