Crazy Train
Have you ever heard something that you just couldn’t quite get your mind around? Something that blew you over that about 12 hours after you heard it, in the middle of a sound sleep you woke up and laughed about it? That would be what happened to me yesterday. Let me explain.
Three Words: Parent Teacher Conference. Now, when I saw the student in these cases, this was the day that my teacher told my folks what a crappy student I was, how I was always talking in class and that I needed to “focus” more on school than socializing. Yeah, ok…whatever. They were stifling my creativity. But yesterday, parent teacher conferences took on a whole new meaning.
My son’s second grade teacher showed me some of his test scores and classwork and a letter that he had written to me that said :
Dear Mom, thank you for coming to my conference. I like school, The subject I love most is reading. Books are great! I need to listen more to the teacher when she is talking. I will work on that. I love you.
Well. Who doesn’t love that, right? Afterwards, his teacher told me that his reading isn’t quite what she expected. Although he is far above grade level, he isn’t as advanced as his records from his previous school said. HUH? He reads the Harry Potter books. He is reading 5th grade books that we get from the library. How can he not be doing great? I chalked it up to all of the recent changes in his life and with us moving he hasn’t had a whole lot of stability. We are going to read a lot more! But, that isn’t what shocked me.
“But in Math…he is doing great!” “Above grade level!” “Needs to be in GATE Math!”
WHAT? MY KID? ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS?
Three Words: Parent Teacher Conference. Now, when I saw the student in these cases, this was the day that my teacher told my folks what a crappy student I was, how I was always talking in class and that I needed to “focus” more on school than socializing. Yeah, ok…whatever. They were stifling my creativity. But yesterday, parent teacher conferences took on a whole new meaning.
My son’s second grade teacher showed me some of his test scores and classwork and a letter that he had written to me that said :
Dear Mom, thank you for coming to my conference. I like school, The subject I love most is reading. Books are great! I need to listen more to the teacher when she is talking. I will work on that. I love you.
Well. Who doesn’t love that, right? Afterwards, his teacher told me that his reading isn’t quite what she expected. Although he is far above grade level, he isn’t as advanced as his records from his previous school said. HUH? He reads the Harry Potter books. He is reading 5th grade books that we get from the library. How can he not be doing great? I chalked it up to all of the recent changes in his life and with us moving he hasn’t had a whole lot of stability. We are going to read a lot more! But, that isn’t what shocked me.
“But in Math…he is doing great!” “Above grade level!” “Needs to be in GATE Math!”
WHAT? MY KID? ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS?
I hate math. It is more than hate, really. Lunch with Hitler would be better than math for me. But, he is doing great and doing 3rd grade work already. She said he just breezes through his math class work and helps others in his class if they are having a hard time. I smiled, with a dazed look in my eyes for sure and said “Wow, that’s great!” but all the way back to work and through the rest of my day, all I could think was: Math, really?
Shoot to me sleeping soundly with a little girl in my arms, when I woke up laughing. MATH! REALLY? Of course after the initial laughter came fear. Because of my immense dislike for mathematics, how was I going to help him, when God forbid, they put him in Pre-Algebra in elementary school! What about Advanced Calculus as a freshman! OMG! I’ve created a math monster! Any of you who know me know that I did not quite excel at math in school. I don’t even remember how to multiply on most days. Thank God for the calculator at my desk and on my phone. But, how dumb am I going to look to this kid when I can’t help him with homework?
So, I will cross my fingers, pray for pencils with erasers and we will learn it together.
Mirth & Merriment…and fractions!
Shoot to me sleeping soundly with a little girl in my arms, when I woke up laughing. MATH! REALLY? Of course after the initial laughter came fear. Because of my immense dislike for mathematics, how was I going to help him, when God forbid, they put him in Pre-Algebra in elementary school! What about Advanced Calculus as a freshman! OMG! I’ve created a math monster! Any of you who know me know that I did not quite excel at math in school. I don’t even remember how to multiply on most days. Thank God for the calculator at my desk and on my phone. But, how dumb am I going to look to this kid when I can’t help him with homework?
So, I will cross my fingers, pray for pencils with erasers and we will learn it together.
Mirth & Merriment…and fractions!
1 comment:
It's weird, isn't it? One of mine is in gifted math and one should be but doesn't like the teacher.
Where the HELL did that come from?
Of course my dad did come to the US because of a math competition, so maybe that's what it is. It sure isn't from either parent.
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