babydawn's comments

I Have to Meet with My Child's Teacher about Possible Retention - Blog Entry

27 Jan 2007 01:33 PM

Valorie - I think that my teacher read the same studies as Pattie... that in the long run, retention isn't really beneficial. I haven't read any of them myself, but I trust her judgement, she really seems to have what is best for Caleb at heart.

Karri - that would be wonderful, I will PM you.

I Have to Meet with My Child's Teacher about Possible Retention - Blog Entry

26 Jan 2007 03:34 PM

Karri - His teacher has changed his reading homework from being assigned reading pages + questions, to his choice of library books and then to take an AR test on them (is AR and Idaho thing or is it nationwide?). He seems to be doing quite a bit better with that although it has only been a week since we have changed. He will be able to pick out all of the non-fiction science books he wants (he has zero interest in fictional stories). She only requires him to do 10 minutes of math, but I have a hard time getting him to focus at home for 10 straight minutes. I think the math program they are using is a little difficult for the kids to grasp the concepts. It hasn't made much sense to me and he comes home and I teach him how I know how to do it and it seems to help him a bit. I really like the hands-on math idea for homework. I wonder how we could work that out. I might have a chat with his teacher about it. Thanks for the suggestion.

I Have to Meet with My Child's Teacher about Possible Retention - Blog Entry

26 Jan 2007 01:51 PM

Karri - I didn't mean to make is sound like I didn't like my son's teacher. She is so amazing and has helped him so much. She really strives for building his self-confidence. She just mentioned to me on the phone about some studies she had read about children catching up after the third grade, and the studies said that it was more difficult. She wasn't saying it to scare me I don't think, but it concerns me because my son has so much potential and I don't want him to fall behind. I know he is smart, darn learning disability... His school experience really is going to have to be a team effort, and that is what we (me, his teacher, and the people in the learning lab) work on all of the time. I don't know how to reduce the stress of school though. He seems to like to go, I just think he is done when he gets home and my school is very big on homework, which makes it hard. Part of me thinks that he shouldn't have to do homework, but then again, I don't want him to get more behind and the rest of the class IS doing homework. He talks about how frustrated he is because he is behind "everyone" in class. I know that this isn't the case because I have volunteered, and there are several kids who are quite a bit further behind than he is when it comes to reading, math, and writing, but he feels like he is, and that is a concern. My son is very intelligent when it comes to science, and he has made huge gains on reading and writing and math.... I think if there was more science in grade school, he would feel a lot more successful, unfortunately, it isn't focused on a ton. Don't worry, I won't ever give up on him, and I won't allow any of his teachers to either. I will homeschool if necessary, but he seems to enjoy the social aspect of school so much, I would hate to take him away from that.

I Have to Meet with My Child's Teacher about Possible Retention - Blog Entry

26 Jan 2007 12:00 PM

I have a 7 year old son who is in 2nd grade and is below grade level. I try to work my best with him at home, but it is a real struggle because he is so stressed with school work by the time he gets home, his entire countenace is clouded and stressed looking. He often comes home and tells me that he is so tired, and asks if he can go to sleep instead of doing his homework. He is a very sweet child and he has learning disabilities. He works with the "Learning Lab" every day, and they are so great. My husband also had these same problems when he was a kid. As I was talking to him about Caleb's increased stress and difficulties in school, he suggested having him held back a year. He said that he felt like if he had been held back so that he could get a good grasp for the concepts that were being taught, that he thought he would have done better in school. I brought it up to Caleb's teacher (we talk on a very regular basis and are constantly changing things up to try to help him), and she said that all of the studies that she has read says that retaining a child for academic reasons almost always backfires. For maturity reasons, it is okay, but for the reasons we wanted.... she also told me that the studies she has read saying that if kids aren't caught up by the third grade that they will probably never be caught up... this is a big concern for me. So, instead of retention, we are looking at finding him a tutor this summer, or having his teacher make up a packet of stuff for me to be able to tutor him with.... he has such big dreams and goals for life. I have to find a way to help him succeed in school.... yes, a little off topic, sorry.

Diary of an Overweight Mom-Blonde Ambitions - Blog Entry

25 Jan 2007 02:20 PM

So, how did it turn out???

A Diet Without Restrictions? - Blog Entry

25 Jan 2007 11:21 AM

It sounds to me like he has the theory of everything in moderation down. I also don't think I could do that. I like sugar WAY too much. But if you think about it, if all of us just ate everything in moderation, there would be no need for diets. I hope to get there someday, but I am not there yet! Congrats on loosing 5 pounds by the way!

When You Want To Hit A Bully - Blog Entry

24 Jan 2007 12:47 PM

I just had to laugh at this blog Teresa. I also agree with what you did, as funny as it sounded. Our children have a right to feel safe at school and a right to defend themselves. So many people say other wise these days. If my child is being bullied at school and all other avenues have been tried and failed, then they will not get in trouble on my watch for sticking up for themselves.

Dealing with Comments to the Widowed - Blog Entry

22 Jan 2007 09:50 PM

A gal I know lost her husband while she was pregnant with her first baby. I think she was only 21 or 22. He died in a plane crash. When my husband's father died, I remember having a conversation with her about my mother in-law and the constant, "I know someone I can hook you up with" comments. She said something that made so much sense. She said, you know people did that to me as well and I was just like, "he was the love of my life, not some car, he is not replaceable." Although it sounds somewhat funny, it made a whole lot of sense. I must add as a side note that she has remarried to another man who lost his wife while very young. It took time for her to heal, and although she didn't replace the love of her life, she found someone else she could share this one with.... good article. Thanks.

Should You Request a Teacher for Your Child? - Blog Entry

22 Jan 2007 09:29 PM

My school is one that does not accept requests but will allow you to fill out a form about your child if you are concerned with the personality or teaching style of a certain teacher. I know that my children's teachers have a say in who's class they go to the following year and I have yet to be disappointed. Perhaps that is because my school is full of great teachers, I don't know.

As far as taking other peoples opinion's, I think you hit it right on the nail. My daughter's kindergarten teacher was such a sweet gal. I really liked her. However, there were several people at my church who really didn't want their kids to have her based on what someone had said about her. I thought she was great, and told everyone so. It was a shame that one person's opinion on her spread to several people's opinion even though they had never met her.

Family Home Evening: Welcoming a New Baby - Blog Entry

17 Jan 2007 08:02 PM

Miriam, I didn't know you were expecting! Congratulations....