Report Card Time

Yesterday was report card day. I dreaded it all day. As we get closer to the day he changes schools, he's getting more anxious about it and so are we. He's worried about fitting in and making friends. We're concerned about that too, but we're just as leary about his academic performance and how it will measure up in the new school with a new teacher.

The kids usually race home from school on report card day, whip them out and start comparing. It's great that they are so eager and confident, but yesterday we would be in the company of two of his classmates during the great unveiling. Both of them seem to be sailing through this school year with no issues, and are excelling as Jonas falls behind. The first report this year wasn't too bad because they moved away from letter grades but not this time around. This time we're right back to the old standard. In our little group, even the kids who can't read or understand the comments, know their alphabet. I'm careful to seperate them during homework time, and my plan yesterday was to avoid the negative and focus on the positive.

I have to admit that when he showed it to me, I was relieved, and not just because his was the only one that didn't come home sealed. I wasn't expecting good things. We have implimented some important accomodations in the classroom to help him overcome his struggles. In Science and Math, for instance, he does his testing orally rather than reading and writing out long questions and answers. That way, his language and motor skills deficiencies don't hold him back from learning and expressing concepts in other subjects. Despite these great advances, I've become very discouraged after several negative conversations with his teacher recently where she has shown us just how far behind is he is.

We're all very happy with this report. He's proud of himself for getting an A in Science and a B in Math.  (EDIT: "I got a B in Social Studies too, mom!") We're proud of him too, and we're glad he gets to see some of the fruits of his labour. He struggles to stay focused in all of his classes, and his body and brain don't cooperate as well in some, which makes it more challenging for him. In Music, for instance, he's doing very well with singing but his coordination isn't, well, coodinated, so his dance marks are low. What makes me smile though his how much he loves it. It's the same story in gym, his skills aren't always there but his enthusiasm is, and that's all a mom can ask for. He's a great kid no matter what, and we need him to understand that we love him as much for the work he's doing on the Ds in language and motor skills stuff as we do for the As and Bs. In truth, I think I'm more proud of him for that work than the stuff that's coming easier for him.

Cheers!