Just back from the last two conferences. They went very well. First was Elijah; last quarter he was supposedly struggling with reading (although, as I told the teacher several times, that was NOT what I saw at home). This quarter he is scoring 96% in his comprehension, and knows 100% of his "fry" words (I don't know why they are called "fry" words). As a matter of fact---it has become his best subject. Go figure. He is reading several 2nd grade level books. She said that he doesn't like to take the comprehension quizzes and that has slowed him down--but when he does finally feel confident enough to take them, he always gets 10/10. Today he finally felt up to taking a few--three to be exact--and he scored 10/10 on every one of them. This reminds me so much of Hans! He also is at above 90% in every other area (above 95% in most); they want to see them at least 70%.
He is doing great in everything, especially in behavior. I asked her if he is a good boy for her and she said "Oh, very much much so. I wish I had 13 of him. I wish we could clone him." She summed it up by saying he is all set for 2nd grade. So, Lij is doing awesome and I'm very proud of him, as always. I wish I could help him get over his performance anxiety and self perfectionism. Then again, I think my own life would have been easier if I'd had a little of that...
On to Ben. Mrs. Trimble is my pal, we always laugh and have a good time. She is very realistic and has a great sense of humor. She also has wild curly hair and is usually a mess; so, ya know, I just relate. I met one of her daughters once and she also has wild curly hair and is a mess, and she told me that she wants a kitty, and I told her that her mother most certainly should give her a kitty.
Anyway, I sat down and she said "Well, I don't know what to tell you other than he's doing awesome." I asked if he is about where he should be. Remember, we started him in Kindergarten at age 4--it was literally an agonizing decision that I lost sleep over--so, I'm always seeking reassurance it was the right thing to do, and to me the way to know it was is if he is at the same level as his peers. When she first started to answer I got a sinking feeling, because she shook her head and said "No,...." and then she goes "he's actually ahead. He's more than ready for first grade." She said he picks stuff up like "that" (snap fingers). He loves school and always eager to do things. He is very independent but a good listener. Math and reading are both a breeze for him. We know he loves art and gym and music because he comes home and talks about them. I asked about socialization, because that's always a concern when starting a kid in school early, and she said he's pals with the whole class, pretty much :) He had done a drawing of him and his friends and it was Ben, Henry, Maggie, and Emma. Henry got to be a different color, we werent sure why; probably because they are besties! She showed me on his drawings that he adds an unusual amount of detail for his age. That makes sense to me because Ariana and Elijah both always get Os in art; I'll take a pat on the back and say that keeping them supplied with all the craft things a kid could want, and giving them carte blanche, has really fueled their creativity.
So, to summarize the boys; Elijah is right on track, and as their areas of study broaden, so will he (they don't do much science yet, and that kid is ready to teach it). He worked super hard to figure out reading, and now he is acing it. And best of all, his teacher wants to clone him :)
Ben continues to be our unusual boy and I suspect that won't change. I remember looking into his eyes when he was a newborn (PRETERM, AT THAT!) and just knowing he was extremely intelligent (remember that, people??). I've been thinking lately about what the future might bring for Ben, and I'm prepared to find creative educational solutions for him, if there is a need. Can't waste a mind like that, you know. Really, if public school isn't working for any one of them, I'm not leaving them there; but with Ben, I think we have something unusual to work with, and will be a little more aware of the need to challenge.
Wils went to Charlottes to today and had a good time ( and so did she). He had spongebob crabby pants with him. Baby crabbypants is actually not quite so grumpy today. The teeth aren't quite throught but they are very clearly coming. They look like potatoes stuck in the dirt, you know that look? OH, and he has a new word. I've been suspecting it for awhile and today it was confirmed by someone who can actually hear. He said DADA long ago (humph!) and says MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA when he wants to complain. He also gets pretty close to "doggie" (kind of a gutteral "dada") And now he says "Rah" :) That's Ariana, for anyone who doesn't know. William started that and now I guess it's going to be her name.
Wils is doing great, he had a great weekend with gramma here. They are tight, you know. He can't wait til he can go to her house and stay for awhile.
Ana is doing great too. Right now she is working with William on his colors because he has his preschool screening coming up and I thought i would see what happens if you actually prepare them :) She is wearing a vest that was in a basket of clothes from gramma, so she looks like a 55 year old teacher.
I am barely surviving daylight savings time. I hate it...passionately. See, it doesn't take much to screw me up! I also worked til midnight last night, which doesn't help. OH, and the psych ward this weekend.....we had a bunch of guys up there who were geriatric and not only were they chronically mentally ill, they had dementia! They wouldn't normally be on our unit but each case was a short term fix because their behaviors had suddenly decompensated to a point where their families/caregivers couldn't cope/keep them safe and there were no long term care options yet available. So anyway it was truly a nuthouse. One guy had a colostomy and we were warned to watch out, because if he gets pissed he throws his bag. Nice. He didn't, but he was gross.
My "little" pals and I are working on our pinning ceremony for graduation. I have no interest in going to commencement (i've had enough of those) but nursing grads have the option of a separate little ceremony with just us and our instructors and families, and we decided to do that. So we are planning it right now. It'll be May 15th in the evening. I'm really going to miss a lot of these girls.
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