Catching up - Part II ...

Last Monday, Jeff and I attended parent/teacher conferences at Michael's school. We are happy to report that Michael is doing well. He is right on track academically and his teacher said he is doing well socially. And, we couldn't be happier after the rocky start we had to kindergarten.

Here is my little bug's report card:


In the first column, the "plus signs" mean that Michal's skills and behavior are satisfactory and those areas are:

"Listens without interrupting, Works without distracting others, Works carefully and neatly, Plays safely, Is responsible for belongings, Shares, Raises hand to speak, Uses appropriate voice level, Keeps hands and feet to self and Holds scissors correctly".

The "up arrow" means that Michael is showing improvement in those skills and behavior and those areas are:

"Accepts teacher authority, Listens attentively, Follows directions, Works independently, Completes works on time, Participates in activities, Interacts well with others Colors neatly, Cuts accurately, and Traces patterns accurately".

And, there weren't any areas that needed improvements or there would have been "check marks" next to those areas. Yeah!

In the second column, Michael could have an "M" for Mastery (instantly recalls without prompting), "P" for Progressing or "N" for Needs Improvement. As you can see, Michael had all M's. He really is enjoying learning how to read. When we ride in the car or watch TV, he is always spelling out words that he sees and he tries to sound it out. If he can't, he always asks us what the word is. We also have some easy site reader books and Michael can read them all to me and he is just thrilled. And we are so proud of him!

The teacher's comment made Jeff and I chuckle (even though we know it is not funny). "Michael is adjusting to Kindergarten expectations. He exhibits attitude from time to time & wants things his way." Yeah, we knew that and are trying to change it but so far - we're not having much luck. And, considering all that he has been through in his young life, I'm not sure we ever will.

Please keep Michael in your thoughts and prayers, JoAnne.