Proud, I am A Proud Momma

I have had two incidents this week where I thought, wow, that is my child...wow! Let me explain.

I will start with Chase: Everyone knows how much anxiety Chase has experienced about school. It has been a really hard transition for him. Chase really struggles with reading. Because of this his self esteem is really low. I think that this fact has contributed to his anxiety about school. Never having a textbook before, and being handed four (one for each core class) all being at least one and a half inch thick...this is pretty overwhelming for him.

Anyway, Sheldon and I decided since one-he was still struggling at home with the anxiety, and two-because there was a schedule mix up we did not have a chance to meet his teachers, that we would have a conference with his team-this includes his four core teachers and his inclusion teacher (she is in some of his classes, she helps him when he needs it, as well as a few other kids, but because she works with different groups consisting of the inclusion students and other kids he does not know she is providing services for him)

So we meet with the five of them. We first explain to them the concerns we have had with his anxiety level, then we explained that we certainly knew he was an 11 year old boy and he would not be perfect, but asked that they remember his anxiety if they had to discipline him. Our concern is that if something happens in any class, the rest of the day he would be so anxious that there would not be any comprehension. His teachers were so understanding, and told us that they had seen the look on his face when he was nervous and they had all found ways to reassure him. It made me feel good that they had taken the time to recognize this and was taking the time address it with him.

Okay, on to the proud moment part. Each teacher took turns to tell us how he was doing in class. Four teachers repeated one by one that Chase is very well behaved, he is a hard worker, he is outgoing, he participates in class discussions, he is responsible, he has lots of friends, he seems to be a leader and not a follower...and then...his Science teacher told us his average in her class was a high B, his Math teacher tells us that his average in her class is 100-an A, his Social Studies teacher told us that his average in his class is 100-A, and then Literature Arts...100-A. My son, the one who has struggled, he is in typical classrooms and his lowest grade is an 87! We are so proud of him.

Mackenzie: I had a pretty bad day on Thursday, personally. Mackenzie had dance until 7:45pm. I grabbed a bite to eat after work and went straight there. I have found that watching her class on Thursday nights really makes me relaxed, and happy. Who would not be...10 or so little girls, all wearing pink tights, black leotards, messy little pony tails, standing at the bars, practicing delicate ballet moves. It has to be one of the cutest things I have seen in a very long time. The soft voice of her teacher calling out different positions, the little ballerinas all in sync with each other, looking so serious. Somehow, all the stress of the day was suddenly gone. I realized as I was driving over to the studio that this had actually became one of my favorite times of the week. I was ashamed that earlier that day I was pouting because the time of this class was really interfering with my evening routines.

Both Mackenzie and Chase are really making us proud. They are really good kids, even though they are...well...rotten kids.