Wednesday night was parent teacher conferences. Clark was busy with work, so I was flying solo. I basically had them lined up one after another. With all the changes in teachers this year (pregnancies, etc) I had only met one of the teachers prior to this night. That was only b/c Alexis had this same teacher when she was in KG. The conferences went about how I expected them to go. There was only one I was worried about. I was glad to finally discuss my fears with one teacher. I will just go oldest to youngest with my updates.
Nick- He is in the 5th grade. His final year at Eagle Elementary. He started with a male teacher who he LOVED. This teacher really like writing and was "cool" as far as Nick is concerned. Sadly after 6 weeks his teacher took another job and left. Now he has a new young female teacher. She was actually really nice. Surprise surprise she thinks Nick is a GREAT kid. She is the one who nominated him for the Sporting Good Behavior award (that he wins every years). His conference was the my last one and she really had nothing to say. She showed me a book report where he got a 98% (missed 2 b/c of the drawing). She talked about his testing and lexile (reading number) all of which are always very good. She had nothing marked as stuff to work on so like normal, I gave her a couple of things. He is not good about asking for help if needed. She agreed and said that when she thought about it he has never asked her a question. He also is shy and probably does not participate as much as some others. He gets that from me. I guess they have these white boards to write answers on and he has no problem holding that up with answers. Where was this option when I was in school? I hated talking in public. I never however had trouble asking teachers questions. I was always good friends with my teachers and commonly would argue my way to getting something right or if I didn't know asked enough questions to get the answer:) Nick gets along with everyone and is NEVER any trouble. He is smart. She can pair him with anyone, and he will do fine. He got all A's on his report card.
Alexis- I would like to basically freeze my daughter at this age. She is going to be an angel for Halloween and that really does describe how she is behaving lately. Please don't ever become a teenager!!! I did her conference first. It was nice to put a face to a name for her teacher although after fall break she will have another teacher until after Christmas b/c her current teacher is having a baby. Her teacher had only great things to say. Her testing has all been on par for where she needs to be. She is ALWAYS eager to work hard and help in any way possible. Alexis is the ultimate teacher. I will be shocked if she does anything different with her life (her life goals, go to college, get married, have two kids, coach gymnastics and be a teacher.... and never live very far from her mama...okay I added that last one). Alexis' teacher also nominated her for the Sporting Good Behavior award (which she has also received each year). Her teacher said the only thing she could come up with her to work on was being louder. WHAT?? She wants her to be more confident and willing to be loud with her answers. Quiet is never how I think of Alexis... but okay. Actually when she came home today she was telling me some story how her teacher said, "Alexis that is the loudest you have ever been." I guess she let loose during the fall party:) Alexis would have had all A's but did get her first B ever. In social studies they had one paper where she misunderstood and got a 5/10. Every other grade was perfect but there are so few grades she couldn't get better than a B. Also for the first time ever she just got an S in gym instead of an E. I was shocked b/c I guarantee you she is stronger and more athletic than any kid (girl or boy) in her class. Upon further investigation the cause of her S......well she got an F on a football written quiz. Oops! I love football but she does not really care about it! Still very proud of my little angel.
Adam- Adam's main teacher is out on maternity leave (seeing a theme here) but I met with the teacher covering until after Christmas. She had nothing but nice things to say. She started by saying, "he is such a sweetie." She followed that up by," he is shy and quiet and never gets in trouble." If he is doing anything wrong it takes no more than a look and he stops immediately. He is right on track for where he needs to be in KG. He is learning new things each day and progressing nicely. She had no concerns. I had no concerns. The meeting was pretty short. She said he gets along well with everyone. The only thing he many need to work on is speeding up on things. He is so meticulous that it takes him longer than others to get things done. You don't get grades in KG but he got checks or check pluses on everything.
Landon- Landon's initial teacher had a baby and now he has a new one for the entire year. His new one is this ity bity thing that kind of reminds me of Landon (b/c he is sooo skinny too). She seemed nice. Landon is WAY above where he should be for his age. Honestly he is the smartest kid I have. He picks up everything so easily. You teach him once and then he knows. He is amazingly patient and loves teaching others. He is always encouraging to his brothers when they figure something out. He is reading. He is drawing pictures and writing stories about them that are way advanced for his age. His testing was all very good. The only thing I asked the teacher was if Landon was able to sit still. He is very squirmy at home and if anyone has ADHD it might be him. She said he is NEVER in trouble and she never has to tell him to sit still. Whew.... good thing! Still he is our child that at least 10 times a year Clark makes some comment about how he is never go to survive to his teenage years b/c he is accident prone and just sometimes doesn't think before he does something. Smart but lacking in common sense sometimes:) Overall he is a very kind smart kid!!
Ryan- This was my middle conference and the only one I really cared about. It was also the only teacher I already knew which I think helped me feel more comfortable speaking my mind. The conference started with me saying, "Ryan is freaking me out, and I am terrified he is going to fail KG." His teacher handled me soooo well. She, out of all the teachers, seems the most put together and experienced (even if she is not that old). She just said, "okay lets start with you telling me what you are so worried about." He is soooo far behind his brothers. That is what I am worried about. She agreed that his testing is behind and that even with his KG readiness testing he was "at risk." She did however say that he is making progress and so far she does not think he will fail KG. We went over all the specifics with what he should be doing. He is good in math and writing numbers. He is getting better with holding pencil correctly. He has all his letters. He got 17/50 popcorn words (sight words) and that is not bad. I have been going over flashcards with him so I think this number is higher now. He can sound out words okay but struggles to put them together so is in a special group that gets helps with things. I am okay with this. I want him to have ALL the help he can get!!!The other thing I learned is that he can't rhyme at all. Who knew. I thought that was so easy and had no clue that he does not get this. It is true though. I have been drilling him with rhyming questions and he does not get it. Something to work on over break. He also is behind in his picture drawing. Not much detail so we are going to work on that as well. He has to slow down and take his time. What he is doing very well in is behavior and social skills. WHAT?? Yep you read that correctly. He never gets in trouble. Cryin' Ryan does not exist at school (so far...). He saves that for the bus and home. Basically I left the conference feeling much better than the day I got his report card and for the first time in my life saw that one of my kids was below expectations on several things (very very very hard for me to handle). I have some specific things to work on. I am very proud of some things he does well. I feel more confident that with a lot of extra work we might in fact get him to passing KG. After all the conferences however the most important thing I realized is that it is TOTALLY unfair to Ryan to compare him to Landon. Landon is WAY advanced. I don't need Ryan to be way advanced. I need Ryan to be the best HE can be. Passing is good enough for me. Ryan is my child who is advanced compared to his siblings in common sense, figuring out things, and sports. School..harder!!!
I have been rather distraught with worry over Ryan and his being behind (more so before the conference). I have spent countless hours trying to teach him to the point of frustration for the both of us. I just want the best for him. I got some great words of encouragement from a dear friend via email. She said,
"You and Clark are brilliant people. The chances of Ryan having an IQ issue is slim to none. The chances of him “being in his own little world” or challenged by a mode of learning are much greater. Regardless of what it is, Ryan is a precious gift from God. Made and formed perfectly by Him – just like each and every one of us. Some kids struggle more than others.
Quite honestly Christy, if I had to pick. I would pick a kid who had great scores behaviorally and socially any day of the week and 2 times on Sunday. Ryan has a wonderful start in life. He has wonderful parents who have the means to give all their kids the best in life. He is loved more than anything. And you care enough to be worried. I think when we stop worrying, we are no longer being good parents.
So don’t feel defeated, empower yourself. And remember, teachers don’t understand everything they see. They are quick to be judgmental but they are not all quick to take a special interest in those needing them the most. You are the only advocate Ryan will really have --- You need to be his cheerleader – Just as you already are! You are a great mom with a lot on your plate. You kids are amazing and this too shall pass… Parenting is HARDMy hats are off to you having 5 and still doing it right."
Okay let me end this here b/c running late. Will have a leg update today or tomorrow! Have a great weekend.
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