We had our parent-teacher conference with Jacob's teacher on Tuesday. I don't think there was anything too surprising that we learned. His reading is on track - level "G" - and they expect to be at level "I" when they leave first grade, so he should be there or a little ahead. He's good at math - he's missed only one question on all the math tests this year. There isn't anything they can do to "accelerate" (their word - mine would be "challenge") him given the district's new math program. I find this a little frustrating; because if he were a really good reader, they could assign him more challenging books. But he's good at and likes math - so......
He also has difficulty with changes in his school day routine. My impression was that it was not always a problem, but if he dug his heels in then he could be very stubborn. This is very similar to what we see at home. Is it maturity? (he is the youngest kid in his class) Will he just always be someone who likes more structure to his day? Should we intervene in some way to increase his flexibility? I don't know. It doesn't seem to be daily and/or detrimental to his learning, so we're just going to let it be for now.
He loves his teacher and I think his teacher really likes him too. I think given the other 1st grade teachers and their personalities - this was a good match.
2 comments:
I'm with you on being frustrated with the school's inability to offer Jacob a challenge in his math program. If he were way below grade level I'm sure they'd do something. And yes, you can work with him and encourage his math ability, but if he's really bored with what they do at school, then that could create other problems. Isn't it sad that the "program" dictates what the kids learn, rather than the needs of the students.
I'm really surprised that Jacob is the youngest in his class. What is the cut-off date? I would have expected him to be in the middle as far as age.
It does sound as though he's having a successful first grade year, though. I'm glad he's loving school and his teacher.
September 1st is the cutoff - but many July / August birthdays wait a year (I've heard it's encouraged by the principal). So, June and July birthdays are really the youngest kids in the grade.
He'd rather be running around outside with the neighborhood boys than doing more math at home (shock!). We'll have to think of some things for summer.
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