Updates on Jacob and The Cowardly Lion Post

Jacob has started Reading Recovery at school and he is loving it. I am loving it too because he is gaining confidence in his reading. Every night after school we go over the weeks spelling words, go over the word wall words, and then he snuggles up next to me to read his books to me. He gets that super excited look in his eyes.

We are still having a few behavior issues in class but I think it is because he cannot handle sitting still for that long. Sometimes he needs to stretch his legs and move a bit. His teacher is very strict and gives him a yellow or a red all the time. (An explanation on the green, yellow, and red thing. The students are on a stop light system. Every child starts off on green in the morning. Green means good behavior. If your teacher asks you to stop once she makes you move your stick figure to yellow (not great behavior). Then after yellow if you misbehave again she moves you to red. (Bad behavior) If you get on red the teacher makes you bring a note home to your parents and the parent has to sign it and so does the child)

Anyway, all week Jacob stayed on green. Every-single-day!! I was so proud of him. I know how hard it is to sit still for him. So Friday before school I told him that if he stayed on green he could pick what we had for dinner. (Yes, that is a special treat for him) So Friday comes around and Jacob walks into the house devastated. He is sobbing and I can't get him to stop. He tells me that a second grader tripped him twice and he went from green to red in a matter of moments. This totally broke his heart. I felt so bad for him.

In the teacher's note she wrote "Disrespectful behavior and sillyness in art class and in the classroom." That doesn't really describe what happened. Normally I wouldn't believe Jacob's being tripped twice story but .... my little brother (5th grader) saw the whole thing happen and heard his teacher yell at Jacob and move him to red. So now I have to talk to the teacher.

Jacob has never been tested but I believe he has ADHD. My friend is a school psychologist and she thinks so too. (It is too early to test him from what I have heard)

Just when he is gaining confidence and enjoying school his teacher gives him a red card. I will be talking with his teacher about the incident.

Also, I have an update on my The Cowardly Lion post. If you haven't read it yet click here otherwise this will make no sense.

I have decided not to confront "K"s parents. I do not think that talking to them would do or solve anything. If I see them around school I will be nice. I guess they had their reasons to change classrooms and think Jacob was the excuse to switch teachers and have "K" be in the same class as her best friend. I am going to try to let this go even though I know it will be extremely difficult. "K" still comes to the house to play with Jacob and whenever he goes out the door I just tell him not to hug her. But "K" and Jacob are friends and I am not going to take away "K" as his friend. It would be unfair to both of them.

I have also decided to get more involved in Jacob's school. I think I am going to join the PTC (the parent teacher council). I am not sure how to go about it but I think it will be very beneficial to be active in what happens at school. Jacob will be at his school until he finishes fifth grade. (WOW I will be the mother of a fifth grader ... that sounds so weird)

Anyway ... that is what is going on in our neck of the woods. Are any of you active in your local parent teacher organization? What do you like and or dislike about it? I am very interested in your thoughts.