So, the boys came home last week with “How Am I Doing?” reports. This was, of course, the little guy’s first ever progress report.
Here are some remarks from each of their reports. I will let you guess which remarks go to which child. 🙂
A) He is doing “pretty well”
B) “He prefers playing to artwork”
C) He is an “intelligent, lively, and cheerful student.”
D) “A delight to have in class!”
As you might notice, there is a slightly different tone to the first 2 than to the second 2. Interestingly enough, the better progress report went to little D! In some ways I was happy to see this. Although at home his behavior can be a bit, um, challenging, I was hoping that he might be able to show a different side in the school setting. It appears that he is! (Sigh of relief!)
That brings us back to Mr. Z. Honestly, his progress reports have always had some room for improvement. (I feel the need to note that I always had some problems in my progress reports. Even in 1st grade I got an N in conduct. I think I liked to talk a lot. I won’t even get started on my husband’s childhood progress reports.) Anyway, this dear child, who usually shows very good behavior at home, seems to resist some of the structure that comes with school. Apparently he needs help with; sitting still, being attentive, listening and following directions, and completing work in a timely manner. Oh, and his cutting and coloring skills need some work too.
Now you might think these are some normal things for an almost 5 year old to be working on. That used to be my assumption too. I learned last year, however, not to ask my friends if their children had similar notes on their progress reports. They didn’t.
He is a kid who just generally knows what he likes in life. For example, he LOVES building. If the class is having a building project, he is participating well. If, however, it is a coloring project, he just is going to resist. He does NOT like to color. He has never liked to color. It just isn’t for him. I think I had a very similar response to Trig in high school. Unfortunately, coloring is a frequent activity in preschool. Poor guy.
That is okay, though. He got good marks for some of the things that matter most, like, “treats classmates with kindness and respect, respectful to teachers and other adults, and verbally expresses self wants and needs”. I always said that one of the things that I want the most for my children is for them to be kind. Of course I want them to follow directions, but if they have to be independent thinkers with a kind heart, I will take it.