So today, Mark and I had a meeting with Caroline's Kindergarten teachers to come up with a plan for the transition. She will be out of school for 2 weeks during the move and we wanted to get an idea for not only what we should do to keep her excited about school, but also what work we should do with her. Well, overall, they told us that she is a very bright student, especially math (seriously?) and she is a natural born leader. She is also a talker. I'm not sure which one of she gets that from *wink wink*!! Both teachers confirmed that she needs to be challenged all the time and that she is already a head of some of the other kids in her class.
Listening to all of this, I felt like I had travelled back in time and I was my mother listening to my teachers talking about me. I have always felt like I was a better student then my grades reflected. I can actually pinpoint the exact grade and teacher where I got lost. In the 5th grade, I was a great reader. My mother taught me to read when I was 3/4 so by 5th grade, I was reading well above my grade level. My 5th grade teacher however, refused to put me into the group of other kids that were at that level as well. I remember asking him, over and over and being turned down, until the end of the year. With only a few weeks left, he moved me up. I remember feeling like, why do the work if I'm not going to get the credit I deserved. That's pretty heavy for a 5th grader. I do not want this to happen to Caroline. I am not blaming my parents, they did everything they could at the time and continued to challenge me at home.
Right now, she is so excited about going to school, and learning. I will do everything in my power to make sure she stays on this path. I will hold the teachers accountable if I feel like they are holding her back in anyway. Today, I feel like my 5th grade teacher would have had to answer for what he did to me.
As I am typing this, I am listening to my mother and Caroline playing Memory. The sounds of "Caroline, don't cheat" and "Mommy, Mimi is cheating" are in the background. Warms the heart!!
Oh Man, I hear ya on this one! I was sooo unchallenged in school and got totally bored and as a result did poorly. I too (as you know) am a talker, so is Beaux (the 4 of us together should be pretty fun, but VERY noisy, warn Mark! LOL) But seriously, this is one of the reasons I home school him. He would be bored in Kindergarten, he is totally a hyper kid, and would definitely get in soo much trouble if they didnt challenge him, and from what I hear they do in the local K classes...well...lets say...Id imagine lots of parent / teacher conferences! Major Yay for you to be so concerned, so involved, on the ball and not just letting the schools do their "job". Luckily the school district you are moving to is awesome! Good luck, look forward to hearing how it all goes. Oh and Beaux cheats too. :)
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