I haven’t written a lot about Harry lately. Admittedly, there’s been a lot afoot around these parts and he’s such an easy laid-back kid, there hasn’t been much to say. But I don’t want to give the impression that he’s somehow been relegated to second-class citizen in the wake of Liam’s arrival. Certainly not. Not that there haven’t been instances where I’ve felt guilty for not giving him the extra attention he greatly deserves. And he’s been so patient. Not once has he acted out against Liam or given me grief when I ask him to fetch me a pacifier or a blanket for the tenth time that day. He is, plainly put, an angel.
He’s so smart. I know, all mom’s talk about how smart their kids are. I was just reading this article in “Parenting” magazine where 600 moms were polled and 95% or so said their child was advanced in some way. But he is smart and has such a thirst to learn right now. He’s doing really well in school. The best barometer I have of his success right now is the weekly spelling tests. They have three lists, with the third list being the most difficult list, having the most words and difficult spellings. And he’s on that list. He gets nearly perfect scores on all his spelling tests (he spelled “smog”, “sog” on Friday, but I know he knows how to spell it becuase I’d been quizzing him on it all week long). He can read very well and has a great head for math and science. Far better than I’ve ever had.
But, I’m not happy with his school. His teacher left after one month, to teach at another school closer to her home. During that month she was out at least a week, so the kids had a substitute. Now they’re back to substitutes, while the school tries to find a replacement. The latest news is they’re still looking and the kids will have subs for the forseeable future. I am NOT happy about this. I think first grade is pretty damned important in the grand scheme of thing. And to have such upheaval in the classroom cannot be good for the kids. They need stability and structure right now and I don’t think they’re getting it. What they do have is uncertainty. One of the other moms said she heard they have a hard time hiring at this school becuase it’s “one of the worst ones”. This is news to me, since we were very happy with kindergarten and the neighborhood (while not one of the better ones) is not that bad. And it does not make me feel very good.
I don’t like that Harry’s educational career is getting off to such a shaky start. He’s smart and he wants to learn and I want to be taking advantage of that. Here in a few years, it’ll be pulling teeth to get him interested in learning. I don’t want this ball to be dropped. Harry’s education is far too important. So what do I do? Do we harrass the principal? See about finding him a charter or private school to enroll in? What? This is entirely foreign soil for me. I just wish I knew what to do.
{ 3 comments }
Zoot (20 comments.) 08.22.06 at 4:18 pm
I’d definitely talk to the principal, but not rule out the private school option if you can afford it. We’ve had some bad teachers, but luckily LilZ has fared okay. And he’s an awesome kid, but I would never say he is “advanced” so I must be one of that 5 percent. hehe.
brit (97 comments.) 08.23.06 at 7:24 am
huh. I don’t know…I do know it just makes me nervous about the future…speaking of that..when do I enrol my kid in nursery schooll??
Nancy (68 comments.) 08.23.06 at 5:12 pm
It’s so hard when you’re faced with decisions like this. Mimi’s in the midst of some major changes at school — many of her friends are leaving or scheduled to be in other classes in two weeks — and it’s tough to think about how it might impact her learning. I have no advice, other than to empathize.
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