November 28, 2008

Parent/Teacher Interviews

Yup, it's that time again. We recently received Cohen's report card - very positive, almost all subjects were graded "above grade level". Except two - Dance and Music. WHAT? MUSIC? Yeah. Sigh. Apparently he's only "at grade level". Sheesh.

Anyway, today we had the parent/teacher interviews. I'm very happy to say that it was actually JUST a parent/teacher interview - none of this "student-lead conference" crap. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the teacher to be candid with me, and I don't think that this can be done with the child present.

It was a great interview. Cohen's teacher had nothing but positive things to say - he's quiet, funny, cute, gets along well with everyone, and is doing well in all subjects.

(Um... is this the same kid that I fight with every day? The one who gives me attitude and throws temper tantrums? Sigh. I suppose I ought to be glad that he's behaving at school. Perhaps he works so hard on being good at school that he just needs to blow off some steam at home. Too funny.)

Where was I. Oh yes - and, to my immense pleasure, she recommended that Cohen work with the Grade 2's for Language Arts, as he is doing exceptionally well with his reading.

This is a hard-fought victory. We've been working with Cohen on his reading since Kindergarten. At first, it was such a disaster - he would immediately burst into tears anytime that we asked him to try to sound out a word. One thing about Cohen - he HATES doing anything that he is not completely confident in. So, we backed off and just continued reading to him, trying again every once in a while. This year, there is such a big focus on reading in his class, and I think it helped him to see that everyone was struggling just like he was. We started working harder - 15 minutes every night, sounding out words with him, pointing out repeated words, etc etc.

Lately, in the last month or so, he has just flourished. He reads EVERYTHING - newspapers, any words on TV, signs, boxes, cartons, containers... He is also continuously asking me to spell words, or spelling them out for me to decipher. (this drives me crazy, but I try hard to be patient).

Understand - I believe that excellent reading ability is an absolute must for all of my children. I myself was an early reader, and voracious one at that - I read far beyond my grade level, and couldn't stand not having a book on the go. I am also a very fast reader - tested at nearly 650 wpm. Being able to read well - and so quickly - helped me so much through school. Never mind the wonders it did for my imagination!

So, you see why it's so important to me. I desperately wish to pass on the love of reading that has been passed on to me through the generations. Ian loves to read as well...so the odds are in our favour!

Lili has been trying to read for a year. She has hundreds of books, and sometimes I wonder how she manages to sleep when her bed is covered in books each night. In a way I feel bad - if I put more effort into it, she could probably be reading by now. However, there are only so many hours in each day. She sits with us when we work with Cohen, so I'm certain she's picking things up along the way.

So proud, Cohen! What an amazing little boy. What a painless interview! "He's doing great, I love having him in my class, any questions?" is pretty much how it went!

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