Walker has just finished kindergarten this year. Whew! He passed and will not have to deal with his kindergarten teacher again. During his end of the year assessment all the teachers said he was doing well and would be excused from special services. This is great news for a parent. He is now doing the work to the level he should based on his age and grade.
When it came to his primary teacher to give her assessment she felt the need to say at the end that he still has behavior issues and impulses. I took it with a grain of salt and didn’t put too much thought into it because it was not validated by any of the other six teachers in the room. Makes you think doesn’t it? Believe me if he has a behavior issue I would be the first to address it. I will not tolerate such behavior. My kids aren’t perfect and would be the first to admit it.
Walker came home a few weeks ago and says that one of his best friends wasn’t being nice to him and teasing him and taking off Walkers shoes. There are the three boys that are in the same kindergarten class and also go to the after school program. So I asked him what was going on and asked him if he was doing the same. Walker was talked to on how to handle the situation. I discussed with the afternoon teacher to find out what was going on. All three boys were doing the same thing. I discussed this with Walker and said this is not appropriate behavior and I don’t want you doing these things anymore. He promised me he wouldn’t. I followed up his teacher and she said it was still happening. She explained that she talked to the boys and asked them to come to her and explain why there were feeling that way. That’s a bunch of hogwash. She is young – chalk it up to inexperience and lack of wisdom that comes from repeatedly reprimanding your kids. She was probably around 20 years old. I asked the boys to come to me (including Walker) with the teacher. I explained that this behavior wasn’t going to be tolerated any further and if they wanted to continue being friends than they needed to treat each other better. This type of behavior was going to stop immediately. I then told them if it continued that I had the names and phone numbers of their moms and would call them. They happen to be friends. I also know that they are the type of mothers that would do the same. If Walker was doing something he shouldn’t and I wasn’t there to see it I would trust that they would step in and do the same thing. Well needless to say for the next several weeks it didn’t happen.
Walker has now started with the recreational department summer program and is loving it. The second day the counselor comes up to Rich and says, “You know… you have a great kid there.” There is nothing a parent would rather hear from others. He may not be the most intelligent or the fastest but he is well behaved and is compassionate among others.
Recap
Knowing your 1st child has passed kindergarten… relieved
Knowing the 2nd child may end up with the same teacher… frightening
Hearing that your child is a good kid from an almost stranger… satisfying
Harrigan Tales 