Ash is a happy, happy girl today.
She finally, after 6 long, gruelling months had the jaws of death, otherwise known as a crib, removed today. We have been noticing that she really doesn't have her fingers in her mouth anymore, so maybe it was safe to remove. I hope we made the right decision, because I really don't want to have the dam thing put back in. Now she can talk without a speech impediment and eat normally again. Hopefully for once in her life she won't have something like a thumb or crib in her mouth to make her outwardly different than others, just being herself is different enough.
Speaking of being different and "issues".
Yesterday when I was picking her up from school I thought I would drop by the classroom and let the teacher know about today's appointment. I'm kind of glad I did, apparently my little Missy has been having a major attitude attack. She doesn't like resource, because the resource teacher makes her work, and then when she comes back from resource she is all pissed-off that the teacher had the nerve to make her work that she feels she's done for the day. And she's convinced herself that her regular teacher is out to get her and wants to bury Ash in her back yard. She seriously told me this. Ugh. I was also told by the teacher that they had a math test yesterday (report cards are out next week, yay) this was an addition and subtraction test. The stuff she has been working on is stuff like 52-31= or 12+25= fairly basic math, and she gets it. Well, in the 40 minutes they were given to complete the test she completed TWO questions.
In 40 fucking minutes, TWO questions.
On one hand, come on Ash, what the hell were you up to? Dreaming off into space no doubt...pissed at being asked to do something that was kind of hard...watching what everyone else was doing...expecting someone to come along and help? It's hard to say because being 7, when asked what she was doing she says "I dunno! It was too haaaarrrrrdddddd! Uggghhhhh!!" Then proceeds to storm off in a huff crying.
On the other hand, why the hell did the teacher let her go completely on her own for 40 minutes without re-direction?! We all know that she can't sit and focus on her own, so why do we keep going through this?! I'm not asking for miracles, or for her hand to be constantly held, but maybe a little bit of extra consideration would be nice. I know that she can "read" the test, she knows how to read numbers. But it's always the staying focused that's a toughie. I KNOW that she can be a bitch and have an attitude, and we are trying to help her be nicer. But how does it work now that she has totally bombed a test that she could possibly do with someone making sure she DOES it? Does she get a chance to re-do it? Or is she shit-out-of-luck and her marks will reflect it? She does bad enough in math for her to get an even lower score than normal. Aren't report cards (especially in elementary school) supposed to be a reflection of what the child can accomplish?
The teacher said to me yesterday that she is going to constantly struggle if she can't work more independently. Yes I agree, fully 100%, I bit my tongue at "No shit Sherlock!" But does she have any suggestions as to how to make things easier? Ash certainly can't be the first un-focused grade 2 that the school has had before!
Ugh. I am SO looking forward to parent-teacher interviews in two weeks. Junior can put on his angry eyes and scare the teacher, and she can gloss things over that they are going great, except for those times when she pulls me aside at school and tells me the horrible things my daughter is up to.
4 comments:
I hate the way teachers do that ... gloss over everything and then suddenly pull you aside to say "oh your, daughter won't cooperate/listen/focus etc." It has happened twice now with G at kindy... I think she's doing fine and then all of a suddent he kindy teacher drops a bombshell.
I'm sorry it is all so frustrating... G doesn't like to do things she finds hard either (sounds pretty normal to me!)
I'm fully in agreement with what Em said.
If it's any consolation we had parent teacher last night and we were told that my little miss only got 5 questions about of something like 75 in math. It's a huge weakness for her. Apparently they don't expect them to be able to do them all but they expect more than she wa capable of. She is also very chatty and disruptive and doesn't do her work. She's a drifter, oh joy.
Hooray for mouth freedom!! Congrats to Ash.
What is it about seven year girls and ATTITUDE (with a capital everything)?
And you know I have to throw my two cents in about her teacher...I think that she should be doing everything she can to help Ash be successful. Even if it means holding her hand more often.
Thanks guys. It helps just to be able to vent it out sometimes. And of course to have great friends for support.
And so far so good with the mouth. I think we are thumb and appliance free!
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