Well, the product that Jeff was going to run in France isn't working out so great in the test runs in the lab. So his trip has been postponed until next Sunday (16th) at least and if they can't get the tests to come out right next week, it will be cancelled all together. So! All that fretting about nothing. As usual.
I had a conference with Michael's teacher yesterday. So ended the season of conferences. I had one for Lily and Andrew the week of Thanksgiving and one with Andrew's Humanities teacher (gifted program) last Tuesday. I am so fortunate that conferences are a very very pleasant experience. It turns out that all 3 kids are people-pleasing school lovers. Kind of like their parents. In a nutshell:
Andrew's teacher loves him. Of course. She nodded sympathetically when I complained...again...that math is not challenging him at all. Then she smiled and nodded as I whipped out the Common Core Standards and pointed out that he has mastered all of the 3rd grade objectives. And we came up with some lame-ass plan to give him math challenges. Basically I was told to wait until 4th grade, when there were opportunities in the school for math enrichment. -sigh- It's really hard to get more when your kid is just so darn contented in school. Andrew happily completes all the easy-peasy assignments and absolutely ADORES helping his fellow students. I am torn between keeping him happy with school and pushing him ahead. He really should just be in 4th grade math (and reading, and everything else...perhaps a sign we should have staying in California, where he would have made the cutoff date for the higher grade?). But I will content myself with the fact that he WILL be challenged, we DO challenge him at home, and he is really really a happy gifted kid...which is a blessing. And I will try and hold back my mother-in-law and husband who pressure me a lot to push for more, but don't actually go to the school conferences. I am non-confrontational and not the best for this job.
Lily's teacher loves her. Of course. She did a conference with the kids first, and Lily said she was best at being a good listener. Which her teacher whole-heartedly agreed with. Lily follows directions, is pleasant and cooperative, works well with her peers, and is basically just a great little student. Her teacher has noticed that she is reading well, and so meets with her separately to work on reading while other students are working on the letter sounds, etc. The teacher laughed at me when I worried about Lily not being able to add and subtract well. Turns out that is not a skill kindergartners are expected to know. It's going to tough following Andrew through school. My expectations are all skewed.
Andrew's Humanities teacher loves him. Of course. She said he is always eager and excited to take on new challenges and works really well with his peers. She pulled out a math challenge packets and said, "I realize that many of my students aren't being challenged in their regular classes, so I am introducing these packets. I've got 5 more to keep them busy through the rest of the year." Fantastic school...it's like she read my mind. They are doing such cool things in this class, I really wish I could be a part of it. They are in the geography section right now, and they are playing Geography Survivor. They have been broken into tribes, and at the start of each class they have tribal council. Each tribe is given a different challenge to work on (the first day they were given coordinates, and they had to figure out where their tribe was going to be stranded by working out the latitude and longitude. Since they hadn't exactly studied that yet, it was quite a challenge!) Really fun stuff.
Michael's teacher loves him. Of course. She said he is agreeable and will do whatever she asks...but she can tell when he doesn't like doing something. Only because his enthusiasm is so great when he likes what he is doing, she can see there is no spark when he's not. Not too bad. He is pretty dependent socially on one boy in the class (someone we know outside of school). This boy just left yesterday for a month in Australia visiting his grandparents. So we are a bit concerned how he will do in school. I think it will be good for him. She mentioned that he is simply amazing with spacial concepts...like patterns, building, etc. Which we know...but she said that she has literally stopped the class from free play to come and see something that Michael has built. Cool. He needs to work on his shapes (?)...I've missed that somehow at home. He hates cutting and singing...but will do it when asked. Basically he's right on track and a joyful and cooperative student.
So...thanks once again to my children for making me look good. I've simply been blessed with good-natured people pleasers. Which may be my doing, since I gave it to them genetically and managed not to ruin it in the last few years. Other than that, the credit goes to them. They are simply really really great kids.
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