First Grade Fun

Here we go again. Summer 2014 is over for us now that school has begun again. First grade. Big time stuff. Elisa was getting kind of nervous/excited the night before talking about it. And by Thursday morning, she was impossible to pull out of bed, begging to stay home and sleep. But no. It was time to embrace this new schedule and hop back on the merry-go-round. 

Her teachers are Ms. Miskin who taught K last year (and who impressed me with her speaking at one of the PCO meetings) and Ms. Rosendo who I'm looking forward to meeting soon. I was mostly hoping Elisa would get the chance to move on with a new teacher since I knew one of her teachers from K would also be moving up. We needed a fresh start this year. The end of the year report wasn't terrible, but it was disappointing--especially after such a glowing review in December.  I got it the weekend before we were pulling her out two days early to head to Spain and was blindsided by some of the commentary. Elisa wasn't engaged. She wasn't trying. She didn't always have nice things to say to her friends. And she could do x, y, z but they knew she was capable of more. It struck me as defeatist at that point in the year to get a snapshot of her as a slacker, mean girl who didn't live up to her potential. Was I overblowing things? Maybe. There were a few highlights which were art/gym/choir--all things I know Elisa loves and wants to do better at. But the rest was a bit more difficult. What was I supposed to do with this information, I wondered. How could I as a parent make her more attentive or inspired at school? A few emails and conversations with her teachers later, and I was somewhat relieved. These didn't seem to be major stumbling blocks, but rather things to stay focused on. Her math assessments rose from 60% to 88%.  I was also suspicious of making them feel defensive and placating. But oh well. It was done. 

And what I've come to realize about myself and Elisa in regards to school is that I'm totally fine with where she's at. She isn't reading to grade level and that's okay. She has very little interest and hates to practice. She guesses at words and begs to stop. The few easy books she's read from the library elicited shrieks and wide eyes when she figured them out. That was fun. That was what I wish for her. But forcing things is not working so well. So I just stopped. She's never been an easy kid and this school stuff is proving no different. She only worries about her social scene and her friends and making sure she impresses them with whatever strikes her that day.  She sometimes says mean things to her friends. And I'm sure they give it right back. Everything has a consequence and it's time she learned that.  Life moves on.  We didn't finish the take home worksheets from school this summer. We played and traveled and enjoyed each other's company. She is closer to her sister now more than ever. The reading will come. The math will happen. I have confidence in that. But until Elisa is ready and curious and eager to learn, it does no one any favors to try and drill her. I'm not that mom. I'm here, waiting and hoping that this year will be better. That we'll see some breakthroughs. But I'm not holding my breath either. If I remember my own shaky start in school with teachers I didn't trust, I have to think Elisa is testing the waters as well. Hopefully, we all learn something soon.