A Kindergarten Update

You may know that I really had a hard time deciding on whether or not to send Micah to school this year. It was difficult because he was five before the school year, but just barely. He had very little preschool experience, but knows everything needed for kindergarten. Anyways, I decided to send him.

I was having a really hard time and having major mommy guilt for putting him in because the feedback I was getting from his teacher was not so good. If you don't recall, she at one point asked if I thought he had a condition. Yeah, that didn't go over so well. Then about a week or two ago when I asked how he did, she told me that he tried to steal the rhythm sticks from the music teacher. Micah was right next to me as she said that. He and I have had talks about stealing before and needless to say he was very hurt. He immediately said "No I didn't!" Poor kid. This teacher seriously has no tact.

Anyways, with day after day full of negative reports I was feeling pretty bad about putting him in. Let me clarify though, all the reports had to do with Micah either being on his own schedule, going ahead on the assignment or asking the teacher why he had to do this and that he didn't want to. Never was he mean or belligerent or flat out disruptive. Well, I had to go in and see what was going on. Last Tuesday I went into his class and watched them all day. Micah would lay on the carpet instead of sitting straight up in a square. He didn't have the patience to do the math assignment with the whole class. He was on three while they were still on one. Another thing that he would do is not tune in to where the conversation was going. As the rest of the kids were guessing what the favorite animal was, Micah felt the need to compliment the kid on his drawing of a motorcycle. He was also the kid that stood up in music class and took the rock star stance and said "Are you ready to rock!"

Well, at the end of the day, although I wasn't thrilled with his behavior, it really wasn't all that bad. I realized that all the teacher was reporting to me at the end of the day were the two or three things he did wrong and not all the times he was listening or kind. Oh well, at least I know better now. As for the teacher, I thought she might have been singling him out and I was wrong. If anything, she was too nice. She would just ask things of him so nonchalantly whereas I would be more direct and firm.

Well, it just so happens that my parent teacher conference was the next day. I was a little anxious to hear what she said. Right off the bat, she told me how bright he is. She told me he is definitely the type to think out of the box and those tend to be the most creative kids she has had. She said he was the type that turn into the Bill Gates of the world! Yay Micah! She then went over the standard test scores and he blew them out of the water. The first test, he only needed an eight and he got a nineteen. The second one they want the kids to get to a forty by the end of the year. He got a sixty four on the first one of the year! She told me he is a quick talker, articulate and even said that he told her he thinks different than the other kids. I think she threw in a Rainman reference in there somewhere, but I let that one fall to the waysides. Overall, he is as smart as a whip, but this year, we are concentrating on getting him to behave well in class. Honestly, I think he is one of the coolest kids I have ever met. Such a fun and unique personality. I hope he can still be who he is and also learn to be a part of the class.