The girls have been in school for exactly 9 days & already we have had to schedule a meeting with Baby Chippie's teacher. Why you ask? I'm really not sure how to phrase this, but Caroline enjoys "hiding" her smarts when in the company of teachers. It all started last year in preschool when her teacher was trying to assess her knowledge of the alphabet. The child has known the alphabet backwards & forwards for years, so Bob & I were stunned when her "1st Semester Report Card" stated that Caroline could only identify the letter "C". WTF? Confused beyond belief, we scheduled a parent/teacher conference. FYI: The teaching method used in the preschool class is something called "Zoo Phonics". Basically, each letter is paired with an animal whose name begins with that letter - Aly the Alligator, Bubba the Bear, Catarina the Cat, etc. Well, according to Caroline's teacher, when she showed Caroline the letter "A" & asked her to make its sound, she made an alligator noise... With "B", Caroline growled like a bear & with "C" she meowed like a cat. The teacher explained that Caroline found the whole thing quite amusing. When we got home from the meeting, Bob & I sat Caroline down & gave her the "You're A Big Girl Now" speech. AND, before school started this year, I reminded Caroline that while school is a fun place, it also a place where learning is taken seriously. Like any good child, Caroline shook her head up & down & promised to cooperate with her teachers. Like any gullible mother, I looked into her big brown eyes & believed her.
So on Monday after school, as I was emptying Caroline's back-pack, I discovered a piece of paper from class where she had practiced writing her name. There was a big stamp across the top of the paper that read "Super Job". "Super Job" - I don't think so! The writing on the page was the worst rendition of Caroline's name I have ever seen. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Damn, Emily, the child is only 4 years old... GET A GRIP." I know she is only 4, but I also know that she can write her name very clearly. So, I asked Caroline to sit down & write her name for me. She did. Please, check out the comparison photos below... You see what I am talking about?
The next morning when we dropped Caroline off at school, I advised the teacher that Caroline can, in fact, write her name. That's when the teacher revealed this little gem. Apparently, the day before, the teacher advised Caroline that altho her letter "N" looked like an "N", she was not drawing it in the proper way. Caroline responded, "Well, this is the way I draw my "N's". When the teacher told Caroline that she needed to draw her "N's" in the correct way, Caroline became very irritated & snapped, "Well then, I guess I need to find a new school."
FABULOUS! Needless to say, I scheduled a parent/teacher conference, so that we could clear up the handwriting situation. Because I have a tendency to go apeshit when it comes to these types of things, Bob went alone & met with Caroline's teacher. Bob reported that she was quite surprised to see Caroline's real handwriting. What are we going to do with Baby Chippie? Love her.
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1 comment:
Love her and nurture that fabulous vocal streak. She gets it from her mother. So what if she isn't making her "N" the way some guide says. Can you read it???? Man alive I shudder for Harper's teachers. Bill will be attending many a conference on his won. :)
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