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Joesixpack
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Posted: Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 01:00 pm |
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My son starts the first grade today It seems like just yesterday he was a baby. Kids grow up so fast . He's very excited to go see his friends who he's missed all summer.
I'm making him pancakes for his special breakfast, and his mom is going in with him to help out and meet the new teacher. I can't go because I have to work.
____________________
"Up in Harlem, at a table for two,
There were four of us, me, yo' Big Feet, and you.
Form your ankles up, you sure are sweet,
but from there down there's just too much feet"
Fats Waller, "Your Feet's Too Big"
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angel
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Posted: Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 03:27 pm |
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I hope your boy has a good day at school!
My son likes pancakes too. My husband makes the kids dollar size pancakes and my boy who normally complains about eating, will scarf down 15 or more of these.
Hope you are videotaping and/or taperecording him now because soon he will lose that cute/boyish voice...
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AmyZ
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Posted: Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 05:35 pm |
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First day of school for my son as well--only I can't believe he's entering 4th grade!! When did that happen??
Son shot out of bed at 0600 certain he was late (we've both been jetlagged) and we walked the dogs together and got the last few things ready. Realized too late that we didn't have any fruit for his lunch (oops). Then son got worried that he would be teased for having shrimp and linguini for lunch so we practiced a snappy comeback based on his lunch actually winning an award for yumminess (a postcard) during City Camp. Now, watch him come home saying he's in trouble... He still wanted a note from Mom in his lunch, though I gave him the option out. 
I walked him into his classroom and met his teacher and son wanted me to hang out while he unpacked his stuff (I was surprised!). Then I disappeared on home... Dad had to work, same as you, Joe. The classroom was spiffily dressed up in 50s rock and roll decorations (Mr. Teacher is famous for his lip synch to Elvis at the talent show last spring) and there were no convectors clattering unbelievably loudly as there had been in third grade. There seemed to be only one kid in his class that son had had issues with in the past, and he was at a different table.... *crossing fingers for a good year*
Just in case you were wondering how I knew son shot out of bed... I was up already, being worried we might be late for school. And I found myself worrying whether he'd like it this year and make friends and be challenged... I'm not sure how much he slept, but I know I was doing some worrying on his behalf! Ah, the joys of parenthood!
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angel
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Posted: Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 07:44 pm |
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Amy, Can't wait to hear how the day went...
Keep us posted.
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AmyZ
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Posted: Tue Sep 2nd, 2008 08:15 pm |
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Today is the best day of son’s life because his teacher is the best teacher in the world.
Mr. Teacher is strict but not too strict and they have parties all the time and you have pay play money to get in and if you don't have enough play money then you have to sit out in the hall and watch the party and you earn money by "being good" and they each got $5 today and it could cost $25 to get in. *gasping for breath after delivering that speech!*
Mr. Teacher gave them some easy work but it wasn't too easy and it wasn't dumb.
Son had TAG and that's why he has homework. It was just getting to know you stuff today and he has to bring in three things that reflect what he did over the summer and he has to do something else but I didn't catch that. He is going to bring in goggles for swimming and maybe a shell for the beach and after some indecision a partial geode he found in Northern California. (By the way, I am the best mom in the world for reminding him of the geode--it was a very good day!  ) There are four other kids in the class—three other boys and only one girl. Son sounded a little uncertain of the TAG class, but I'm guessing that's because two kids in there are his friends when they aren’t together, but when they are together they tend to exclude everyone else. Also, he was kind of on the outs with another kid at the end of last year, but I think that is more of an ebb and flow of kidhood.
After school he had two races with one of his neighborhood friends a grade above him and it was very, very good.
Perhaps I shall get some sleep tonight!!! *heavy sigh of relief!*
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angel
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Posted: Wed Sep 3rd, 2008 11:45 am |
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Amy ~ Wow! The teacher sounds awesome. I could hear your sigh of relief when I was reading your post. I'm glad school got off to a good start.
Joe ~ How did first day go for your son?
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Cassie
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Posted: Tue Sep 9th, 2008 05:13 pm |
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Joe, congrats on the new first grader!
Amy, Glad your ds likes his teacher- sounds cool!
We had good first days of school (first day of American school for 2 of my 3). More later...
Last edited on Tue Sep 9th, 2008 05:14 pm by Cassie
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Cassie
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Posted: Thu Sep 11th, 2008 06:15 pm |
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The first few weeks of our new school have gone well. I feel like I am not getting enough feedback from the kids-- would really like to know more about what is going on! I have gotten one to two form letters from all the kids' teachers, so it seems that they have good communication, at least on the whole-class level. The PTA is strong and does great things rather than just the usual money-makers. The school councelor has had lunch with both my boys because they are new students- which is a nice touch.
DD is in half day kinder, which isn't much time so they get very little playtime. As far as I can tell, they do all of the regular things-- calendar, some phonics, drawing, etc. Dd seems to like the lead teacher but doesn't like the secondary teacher so well- not sure why. I heard from some other moms about the class, such as the green-yellow-red discipline system (which I hate, but which is standard these days) and the class wild-boy who spits. When I questioned dd, it appears that he spit her too, but she didn't mention anything "because I didn't want to get into trouble". I think she is just quite tolerant of wild boys because she is used to them from Japanese kindergarten! I hope she isn't afraid to talk to her teacher, but there are signs that might be the case ("the teacher is always telling us to be quiet so she doesn't listen to me").
Ds8 is in 3rd this year. He also has team teachers and prefers one to the other. He loved school the first week but hasn't liked it so much this week. I think that the work picked up this week! He seems fine, but so far no definite friends. It is hard to get info from him.
Ds10 is in a GT self contained 5th grade. He is coming from a weak 4th grade last year into a strong 6th grade curriculum. It is a significant jump, and he is struggling a bit with organization, grammar, and spelling, which have been his weak points. Overall he rates his teacher as a 4 out of 5-- which is just a tad bit above his previous teachers. I am curious about how things will go with him this year. Like his brother, he's not big on informing mom....
I have signed up both boys for after school chess club, and dd for a strategy games club for K-2 at the same time as chess. Ds10 will be doing strings for music at school. Ds8 and dd5 will be doing some ballet. We need to pick up piano and violin lessons when I find a suitable teacher. I think that cub scouts and karate will fall by the wayside this year. I was heavily involved in cub scouts last year (as in 5-20 hours a week- ouch!), so still considering it. There are just so many choices here! Oddessy of the Mind (after school club) looks intriguing, but we are way too overloaded already....
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Shay
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Posted: Thu Sep 11th, 2008 07:52 pm |
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Cassie,
Are you not still in Japan???? Where have I been?
About the spitting thing......ugh! My dd also had to deal with a "spitter" who sat next to her in K. It was one of the main reasons she disliked K. Well, the "spitter" failed K and is now in class with my ds. Like yours, my dd doesn't like to tell on others for fear she'll get in trouble.
We have the green--yellow- red thing here, too, but I don't have a problem with it....what about it bothers you? Maybe I just haven't thought it through.
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Cassie
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Posted: Thu Sep 11th, 2008 08:50 pm |
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Hi Shay- Yes, we have moved, although we haven't gotten our stuff yet so we still feel like we are living in the process (air mattress lives)! We are now on the US east coast.
The green-yellow-red thing just bothers me because I feel like it is a punitive and arcane way of maintaining control. It tends not to emphasize problem solving but is rather a three-strikes-you're out idea. I also don't like that usually the whole class can see who has been bad, sort of a public chastizement. It seems to be the sort of conditioning used on an animal, and I don't believe this is the way to get long-term results on a human. I understand that it yields short-term results, but I prefer intrinsic rather than extrinsic rewards. Of course, the former are much harder to institute....
Anyone care to give their views on this idea?
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angel
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Posted: Fri Sep 12th, 2008 11:53 am |
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Cassie, Good to see you back on our side of the hemisphere too!
I have a bit of concern about the spitting. I know that kids cannot be quarantined for having mononucleosis, but I wanted to share something that happened this summer.
My daughter was involved in private ballet lessons with 2 other homeschool girls. I don't know if the mother who coordinated these lessons let it slip, but she mentioned her daughter had mono and would get very tired when it was "active." I didn't think much of it at the time, but when I went home, I thought it over and consulted my doctor.
He told me that mono is contagious and if my daughter were to have contracted from this other girl, she would have it for the rest of her life. Mono can be highly debilitating, people having to stay home from work and school, possibly months. Obviously, it is not a life threatening disease, but being that the two were very friendly and playing with each other after ballet, the doctor suggested that I discontinue going to the same class.
I had previously had the misconception that this was a teen ailment, but this girl was only 9. I spoke to her mom and wished her daughter well and we stopped going to that particular class.
I later become quite angry about it. I would have never considered these lessons, had I known about one of the girl's mono. I thought the mom was irresponsible. Am I wrong about this?
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Cassie
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Posted: Fri Sep 12th, 2008 01:11 pm |
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Angel,
At least you were told, so I think that was responsible of the mother rather than irresponsible. She probably cannot quarantine her daughter from everything, but it is important to let other parents make the choice for their children. I wonder if the mother told "accidentally" or "on purpose". Do people only catch mono from bodily fluids (I seem to remember it was the "kissing disease")? Perhaps if the child is older you wouldn't have to worry about spitting, kissing, sharing cups, etc-- that would be dependant on the child's maturity but it is better to be safe than sorry and follow your doctor's advice. What did the mom say when you told her the reason for quitting?
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angel
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Posted: Sat Sep 13th, 2008 11:17 pm |
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Cassie, mono is spread through saliva -- so by kissing, sharing cups, utensils...
I believe that the mom accidentally let the information slip.
When I told her of my concerns, she then denied that the daughter had mono. She "amended" her story and said her daughter was receiving homeopathic treatments for mono, but was never diagnosed in the states. The mom is from Switzerland, so a doctor in Switzerland said he "believed" she might have mono. I felt even more easy after the story was changed so I didn't regret not going back to the ballet class.
I might not have felt so uneasy about it, if it was just a class, but because the two girls were getting chummy, I couldn't take a chance as children are playful and not as careful about saliva, sharing food, utensils, cups...
I also was torn what to tell the other mom who's daughter was participating in the class. Because I was not holding a medical record in my hand, I didn't know what kind of liabilities I would be open to if the other mom claimed slander.
Any lawyers out there with an answer, because as far as I know if the other girl is still in the class and playing with the girl with mono, she could be at risk of getting the disease.
My daughter was so upset by what happened that when we were looking into other ballet classes, she actually asked one instructor if there were girls with mono in the class.
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Joesixpack
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 02:55 pm |
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Well, the first couple of weeks into the first grade and I must say, I'm not happy with how things are shaping up for my kid. The first day started off with my wife going in with him carrying the box of supplies we were supposed to buy. We got the list from the schools website, but apparently, that list is wrong. The teacher wasn't even apologetic about it and then gave another list to my wife.
OK, well hey, it's the first day of the year, mistakes happen &ct. Sadly, though, things don't improve. The teacher is quite scattered and disorganized. both my wife and I volunteer in the classroom for a few hours each week. The teacher pretends to want us there, but as soon as we arrive, she seems to find a way of getting us out of there. On top of that, she seems completely incapable and unwilling to maintain order in her class. She will let the kids get completely out of hand without noticing and then suddenly punish one kid (I guess the first one she notices). Well, as you can imagine, the punishment is completely ineffective because it's random, and it does very little to change the din in the classroom. When I'm there it seems to fall on me to try to maintain some semblance of order.
I was talking to her last week about one of the kids workbook assignments when a child seated less than three feet away started shrieking as loudly as he could. The lady didn't even notice and kept trying to talk to me over the screams. I finally said "Hang on a sec' ", and knelt down next to the kid and said "Alex, what are you doing?"
"I'm pretending to be a train!"
"Alex, that's really something you can do outside, in the classroom, you need to be considerate of the people around you who are trying to work. OK?"
"OK" he said and went back to work in his workbook.
That sort of thing happens at least three or four times in the two hours I spend in the room. That just happened to be the loudest example.
The one shining bright spot is that my son is great friends with the principal, and consequently, so am I. My son has a tendency to get very bored easily because he's pretty advanced (something that the principal (Todd) pointed out to me), so he told my son that if he ever gets frustrated with his work he can come visit him in the office and talk about it. It's an offer my son has taken him up on several times in the first two weeks of school. Todd has two kids in the school himself, one in mt son's grade and another in 4th. They're both very sweet, bright and well behaved children.
The other good thing is that my son and one other 1st grader (a kid my son really likes, and the child of one of the math teachers)have been put into the gifted program. They don't normally put kids under 8 into the program, but they're making an exception. I'm pretty happy about that.
I went to the principal to voice my concerns about my kids 1st grade teacher after the first week of school, and he said basically "Look, the problem we have here is not so much that our first grade teachers are really bad, it's that all the parents get spoiled by our kindergarten teachers. I've worked in a lot of schools, and the teachers we have for kindergarten are the best I've ever seen". I can believe that.
____________________
"Up in Harlem, at a table for two,
There were four of us, me, yo' Big Feet, and you.
Form your ankles up, you sure are sweet,
but from there down there's just too much feet"
Fats Waller, "Your Feet's Too Big"
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Cassie
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Posted: Tue Sep 30th, 2008 05:40 pm |
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I beg to differ with the principal. The teacher does sound bad. The principal seems good for individual children, but what is he doing to ensure his teachers are productive? I am surprised because in my observations, the teachers are extra strict when I am in the classroom (I am assuming- they seem to be harsher than what I would want). It is good that you can voice your concern to the principal, and hopefully he is doing something about it.
Good news on the gifted program. How much pull-out time does your son get?
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Joesixpack
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Posted: Mon Oct 20th, 2008 04:34 pm |
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| Double post, sorry Last edited on Mon Oct 20th, 2008 04:38 pm by Joesixpack
____________________
"Up in Harlem, at a table for two,
There were four of us, me, yo' Big Feet, and you.
Form your ankles up, you sure are sweet,
but from there down there's just too much feet"
Fats Waller, "Your Feet's Too Big"
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Joesixpack
Afterschooler
| Joined: | Mon Nov 26th, 2007 |
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Posted: Mon Oct 20th, 2008 04:34 pm |
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Further updates on my son's school year. His gifted class has started, but sadly, it's only one afternoon per week and it doesn't last the entire year. He loves the class, though and it motivates him to go to school. Otherwise, he's not terribly happy there. He's been getting in a bit of trouble lately because of his boredom with the busy work (he's also been having some behaivour trouble resulting from his mom and I separating, but not so much lately, and that's covered in another post, ).
The other day, he was getting frustrated by the apparant banality of some writing task his class was doing ("write a sentence about your favorite toy" or something like that) so he got up from his seat and gave himself a time-out. He went to the timeout spot and set the timer. After it was done, he went back to his desk and wrote "I am annoyed".
His teacher told me about the incident and told me it was the funniest thing she ever saw. I said "yeah, it'll be cute the first couple of times". She seemed happy that he is willing to express himself on paper, so hopefully when he writes "I think you're boring" she'll have the same attitude. .
Lucky for us, his principal is a real advocate for him. The gifted program is only for third grade and up, but he made an exception for my son and one other kid. It's not something he would do lightly, either. A couple of years back, when he first came to the school, the gifted program was, in his words "overutilized and abused" (it was basically a place that all of the teachers kids and the kids of the pushy parents got sent). He cut it back drasticly and was not too popular because of it.
Sadly, though, my ex and I don't think that it'll be enough and we are now seriously considering the possibility of homeschooling. We're not going to do anything rash. We're taking our time and exploring all of the possibilities and trying to figure out a way to get his curriculum tailored more to his individual needs. Well, we'll see what happens...
Last edited on Mon Oct 20th, 2008 04:38 pm by Joesixpack
____________________
"Up in Harlem, at a table for two,
There were four of us, me, yo' Big Feet, and you.
Form your ankles up, you sure are sweet,
but from there down there's just too much feet"
Fats Waller, "Your Feet's Too Big"
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angel
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Posted: Tue Oct 21st, 2008 05:08 pm |
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Joe, I won't try to persuade you one way or the other, unless you want me to! There are folks out there who work and homeschool. I met a librarian last week who is contemplating just that and recommended that those who work and are interested in homeschooling should check out the Yahoo Group: WorkandHomeschool
I asked to join and now my membership is pending. I said that I wanted to freelance while homeschooling and the owner thought I was looking for a job! LOL!
Your son sounds like he needs to be challenged in a big way. I hope you find your way in this. Good Luck!
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