this morning, i met up with laura fitzpatrick, mimi's preschool teacher, for an update on her progress at school. i already knew most of what i would hear from her since i see much of the same behaviors at home and at school on days that i am 'special helper,' so it was pretty much a general meet and chat kind of get together where i had the teacher's sole attention and we could talk about mimi for a full 25 minutes.
as i expected, mimi does well in areas of independent play/interests (books, puzzles, making things, staying focused on task) and in language (using words to solve problems, display interest, question and share, etc), and in both areas her teacher says mimi is way out in second grade land with her skills. and of course as expected, mimi needs to show more interest in friends, group activities, playground skills, and the biggie...following the directions.
not that she doesnt know how to listen and follow directions, she often does WHEN IT SUITS HER, so when she is deeply focused on what she is doing, she will often flat out refuse to stop. no surprise there... i usually need three prompts to get her to leave a task, and as her teacher and i discussed today, we need to work on getting her to respond after ONE prompt. this is our big goal with mimi prior to starting kindergarten, where mimi could have real problems with her KG teacher at transition times if she is not ready to wrap up an activity.
while mimi's teacher thinks mimi's focus is a wonderful asset, she also believes that mimi should be able to turn it off at will and i agree with her.
additionally, while mimi's independence is too an asset, it comes at a price since it takes her away from developing solid friendships and picking up important social cues. so this is another area that we are working on developing and hope to have established some good balance with her prior to the start of kindergarten. her teacher is working with her on helping her develop social skills at school by encouraging play with friends and on my end i'm trying to set up more one on one playdates for her when we are home. additionally rob and i encourage mimi to make new friends whenever we are out and about and there's kids playing.
and lastly, the area that both mimi's pediatrician and her teacher have both stressed to me this month is that mimi needs more physical activities and challenges. she is learning to enjoy playing on the playground...seems weird to think a kid wouldnt like that, right? mimi usually tells me she doesn't want to go to school (to avoid playground time) and that it is boring. she is often fearful on the playground equipment and assumes helplessness. her teacher reports that she has been becoming more social and engaging in play outside, but still has a ways to go. so she is really pushing mimi to do more on the playground. on my end, i have to make sure i get her to school on time so she gets the full playground time (that is really my fault, b/c it's so cold in the mornings i hate having her out there for an hour in the frigid temps. and the poor child is sooo bundled up in snowpants, snowboots, snow parka, hat and mittens, that she can barely move anyway!) and if you've ever seen her riding her bike around...it may just be me, but i feel my heart stopping every 5 seconds. it's terrifying!!! as bad as i know it is for her, i'd rather have her inside the house with me all day where i know she is safer! ;)
rob has been pretty good about taking her places on the weekends where she can actively play with other kids. while we both encourage her to play, i think rob is less fearful of her getting hurt than i am. on my part, i sign her up for activities that physically challenge her ie. ballet, soccer, swimming, etc. this spring she will be starting Tae Kwon Do and a class called Beginning Athletes which is a hodge podge of stuff to introduce them to the world of sports. so one day they will do basketball, another day soccer, another day racquetball, etc.
i am really excited about tae kwon do. i never did it myself as a kid. but i think about how cute mimi will look in her uniform (it's all about the cuteness factor for me! i'm so UN-athletic! hard to believe i ever joined the HS swim team or fenced in college!) got a call today from Master Rhee asking us to come in prior to the first day of class for orientation and to let mimi watch a class in session. he seems awfully nice and i hope mimi enjoys the class.
anyway, i digress. here's what mimi's teacher wrote about mimi on her 'report card':
"Articulate, self-confident and incredibly inquisitive with a rich imagination. Mimi enjoys every aspect of school and most especially gathering time, sharing lots of 'news' with me, reading books (a passion for her!), puzzles, singing, dancing, and playing games like Ring Around the Rosie. Intensely focused in her work and play, Mimi is learning the fine art of 'changing gears' during transitions and following verbal directions. A charming little girl, many friends are attracted to her. While she is aware of and interested in friends, individual endeavors seem most attractive to her during free play time. Self-confident and truly comfy in her own skin, Mimi is often happy to do 'her own thing.' While this is a wonderful strength, we are also working on supporting more social play with peers as a balance to Mimi's day. Mimi is getting busy right away on the playground at drop off time these days, making plans and playing with friends." and then the whole i enjoy having mimi...yada yada yada...been a pleasure...blah blah blah stuff that teachers always add at the end of the comments.
as i expected, mimi does well in areas of independent play/interests (books, puzzles, making things, staying focused on task) and in language (using words to solve problems, display interest, question and share, etc), and in both areas her teacher says mimi is way out in second grade land with her skills. and of course as expected, mimi needs to show more interest in friends, group activities, playground skills, and the biggie...following the directions.
not that she doesnt know how to listen and follow directions, she often does WHEN IT SUITS HER, so when she is deeply focused on what she is doing, she will often flat out refuse to stop. no surprise there... i usually need three prompts to get her to leave a task, and as her teacher and i discussed today, we need to work on getting her to respond after ONE prompt. this is our big goal with mimi prior to starting kindergarten, where mimi could have real problems with her KG teacher at transition times if she is not ready to wrap up an activity.
while mimi's teacher thinks mimi's focus is a wonderful asset, she also believes that mimi should be able to turn it off at will and i agree with her.
additionally, while mimi's independence is too an asset, it comes at a price since it takes her away from developing solid friendships and picking up important social cues. so this is another area that we are working on developing and hope to have established some good balance with her prior to the start of kindergarten. her teacher is working with her on helping her develop social skills at school by encouraging play with friends and on my end i'm trying to set up more one on one playdates for her when we are home. additionally rob and i encourage mimi to make new friends whenever we are out and about and there's kids playing.
and lastly, the area that both mimi's pediatrician and her teacher have both stressed to me this month is that mimi needs more physical activities and challenges. she is learning to enjoy playing on the playground...seems weird to think a kid wouldnt like that, right? mimi usually tells me she doesn't want to go to school (to avoid playground time) and that it is boring. she is often fearful on the playground equipment and assumes helplessness. her teacher reports that she has been becoming more social and engaging in play outside, but still has a ways to go. so she is really pushing mimi to do more on the playground. on my end, i have to make sure i get her to school on time so she gets the full playground time (that is really my fault, b/c it's so cold in the mornings i hate having her out there for an hour in the frigid temps. and the poor child is sooo bundled up in snowpants, snowboots, snow parka, hat and mittens, that she can barely move anyway!) and if you've ever seen her riding her bike around...it may just be me, but i feel my heart stopping every 5 seconds. it's terrifying!!! as bad as i know it is for her, i'd rather have her inside the house with me all day where i know she is safer! ;)
rob has been pretty good about taking her places on the weekends where she can actively play with other kids. while we both encourage her to play, i think rob is less fearful of her getting hurt than i am. on my part, i sign her up for activities that physically challenge her ie. ballet, soccer, swimming, etc. this spring she will be starting Tae Kwon Do and a class called Beginning Athletes which is a hodge podge of stuff to introduce them to the world of sports. so one day they will do basketball, another day soccer, another day racquetball, etc.
i am really excited about tae kwon do. i never did it myself as a kid. but i think about how cute mimi will look in her uniform (it's all about the cuteness factor for me! i'm so UN-athletic! hard to believe i ever joined the HS swim team or fenced in college!) got a call today from Master Rhee asking us to come in prior to the first day of class for orientation and to let mimi watch a class in session. he seems awfully nice and i hope mimi enjoys the class.
anyway, i digress. here's what mimi's teacher wrote about mimi on her 'report card':
"Articulate, self-confident and incredibly inquisitive with a rich imagination. Mimi enjoys every aspect of school and most especially gathering time, sharing lots of 'news' with me, reading books (a passion for her!), puzzles, singing, dancing, and playing games like Ring Around the Rosie. Intensely focused in her work and play, Mimi is learning the fine art of 'changing gears' during transitions and following verbal directions. A charming little girl, many friends are attracted to her. While she is aware of and interested in friends, individual endeavors seem most attractive to her during free play time. Self-confident and truly comfy in her own skin, Mimi is often happy to do 'her own thing.' While this is a wonderful strength, we are also working on supporting more social play with peers as a balance to Mimi's day. Mimi is getting busy right away on the playground at drop off time these days, making plans and playing with friends." and then the whole i enjoy having mimi...yada yada yada...been a pleasure...blah blah blah stuff that teachers always add at the end of the comments.
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