Report Cards

When I was a classroom teacher I would spend hours upon hours testing, assessing and observing the kids in my class in order to give their parents precise information of exactly where their kids were at. My reports were full of teacher jargon and levels and standards. I used to pride myself on how well I knew exactly what the kids were capable of and the next steps forward for them in each subject.  

But now I am on the other side of the table as a parent.  My three kids received on Friday morning their report cards for term 2.  I have only now on Sunday just glanced over their grades in each area. Do you know what I cared about instead? Not their grades or what level they are at or what their next steps are. All I really wanted to know was, are they good kids in class? Are they participating? Do they have friends? And are they happy? 

That general comment that teachers write at the end. That's all as a Mum that I really want to hear. I wish I could go back to my teaching days and re-write some of my reports now that I have this knowledge.

Anyway I thought I'd record on this blog some of those teacher comments that have made me proud. (For the grandparents who follow this.) Wink. 

It is not easy to start at a new school in the middle of a term and Lucy has entrenched herself into the class so well in such a short time.  Her quiet demeanour is calming and she has shown a growing confidence each day. She has a positive work ethic and is very independent in her approach to her work. She has had to learn to do things differently and has done so with ease. Academically she is working above what is expected of her age and is developing her skills in physical education. She finds the cartwheel challenging  but with with more practice I am confident she will grasp it.  She is slowing making friends and her kind spirit is an appealing quality to many.

The cartwheel comment made me giggle. I have never in my 34 years been able to do a cartwheel. perhaps we could practice this one together.

 Oliver is a quietly confident little boy who enjoys being challenged. He socially integrates weal with all the children. Oliver enjoys both indoor and outdoor play. He understands and is able to explain matters around health and safety in his daily life and has the appropriate self-help sills. He knows his personal details although when asked where he lives his first response is always New Zealand. :) Oliver uses the appropriate pencil grip and has good pencil control , however needs to be reminded on how to hold his scissors correctly. Oliver is phenomenal at sharing and taking turns and always takes his peers feelings into consideration. He is able to lead a group independently in educational board games during perceptual time. He works well, independently and is consistently on task. Oliver shows self -direction in learning. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know Oliver this term. He is a delightful little boy who is well liked by his teachers and peers alike. From day one Oliver has settled into our school quite quickly and enjoys spending time with Connor. He is a very wise boy who thinks things through before reacting in any given situation.

That last sentence is what I am constantly nagging at Olli. To stop and think first so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that he does it so well at school. Incidentally his friend Connor's Dad is a kiwi so I'm thinking their friendship is due to the fact that he might be the only boy that understands Olli's quirky accent.

 Nathan joined the honey Bees class on 15 May 2014. He stills sometimes struggles to separate from his mum in the morning but now that he has a special bond with Lyla he settles into the daily routine a bit quicker.  He enjoys playing both inside and outside. When inside he plays with the animals and the duplo and likes to spend time reading books. Outside Nathan enjoys running around with the wheels, driving in the car and climbing up and down the jungle gym.  He loves art and is a always an eager participant. He knows his body parts and a few of the names of colours but is still learning to recognise shapes.

These last few weeks I have been really toying with the idea of homeschooling Lucy.  She is still to make any real friends in her class.  They are all a year older than her and therefore more mature in a lot of ways and while it is where she should be academically, I think socially and physically in sports she is feeling every day of that year younger and not belonging.  It is an awful thing to watch your daughter who was so confident in her place in the world to struggle at finding her footing at her new school. There have been lots of tears but I am so proud of her. What she has had to adjust to this term is huge. New country, new house, new town, new school, new teacher, new languages, new routines, new peers. It's huge for a little 7 year old and I think I underestimated just how huge it was for her because she is normally so confident and capable.  

Anyway, after her report and having talked to her teacher I think we are going to stick it out at school. We have made some changes such as no longer having hot lunches in the dinning room (I thought she would love it, turns out she hates it and spends most of lunch time eating alone in the dinning room).  We are also going to spend these holidays working on her Netball skills and perhaps even that ever elusive cartwheel. :)

Well done Lucy, Oliver and Nate. You guys make Dad and I so proud.