Quote:
Originally posted by viet_mom
Yesterday we got report cards and last night was parent-teacher conference.
1. Vietbabe -Sept. b'day (young compared to most in class but 2 other Sept. b'days in class and they are doing fine academically).
2. Catholic kindergarten with 18 kids in her class.
3. Although she is tired b/c no nap anymore, I have always gotten her to do her homework and we haven't missed any school. We read every night and do normal things but not like that character in Parenthood with the flashcards.
4. Report card: highest marks in Self Confidence, Happy, Friendly, Plays Well With Others, Polite (you name it). The only comment is that she's a bit too much of a social butterfly and may be talking while directions are being given by teacher.
5. Conference: teacher showed me her classwork. Not picking up as quickly on phonetics, "math" concepts and such. The teacher seems good. And I always make sure Vietbabe does homework, gets enough sleep, ready for school, all that. So, I think it's not something that can be changed. Teacher thinks she will probably recommend that Vietbabe repeat K and that she really is "that behind" and that 1st grade at that school is particularly challenging. I asked what are the chances that increased help outside school (flash cards and work on weekends with her) would change that but she says it is not likely.
I am so grateful my child is "Happy" and "Self Confident" and "Plays Well With Others." But this morning, I'm upset and teary-eyed even though I know it's "just Kindergarten". Anyone have input? Thank you.
|
You know your own kid better than the teacher - if you think the teacher's assessment doesn't match your child's real capabilities, get your child assesseed for the dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc. family of cognitive disabilities, and figure out whether they need some special help. Find the best testers in the area (often affiliated with a teaching hospital), because kids with learning disabilities are often very smart and figure out how to hide them.
If it turns out the answer is yes, your kid does have some disabilities, I can regale you with stories of how our kids, who got such reviews in kindergartern, are now thriving and wowwing their teachers' right and left. If the answer is no, you still may find that the people you deal with in getting the tests have some really useful ideas about kids and learning.
As far as the something that cannot be changed - don't believe it. Lots of stuff can be changed.
A couple other things - sometimes it is just a maturity issue and the extra year really is effective. There is a great book that came out this year called Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf that describes some of the neuroscience behind maturity and learning (also has a couple chapters on dyslexia). Maryanne is one of the people who has worked with our kids. One thing she touches on is all the pre-reading stuff that has an impact if they are not yet ready (for example, if its a neurological readiness issue, better to have a lot of lap reading to the kid so they are making visual connections between words, stories and symbols than a lot of rote flash cards - but rote flash cards can be very useful if they are ready to read but have a form of dysgraphia that makes it hard for them to imprint symbols, like letters). But if its not a readiness issue, all the possibilities for intervention, like Orton-Gillingham reading programs or Wolf's RAV-O program, are hugely more effective when you catch them early, like in Kindergarten. And teachers are heavily pressured not to identify kids who need these services, because it can have a big impact on the school budget, so be careful about trusting your teachers - some don't bend to the pressure, but some just twist themselves up in little balls helping schools deny services.
