Who Needs Help, Really?
School conferences are always an eye-opener. There are those things I think about my kids, and how they are at school. And then there are those things that are true.
At 4 a.m., I woke up and went downstairs to send a letter to the principal. “It’s November,” I said, reminding him that I’d called last May to get a meeting set up for Shane. The issues aren’t as pressing as Dylan’s but still, he has dysgraphia, and he needs serious help with his handwriting and spelling issues. I didn’t want to forget him for even one moment longer. The school counselor called less than 8 hours later to set up the meeting.
Then I went to talk to his teachers for our annual conference.
First, I met with Shane’s math teacher. Shane is getting ES’s in math – the equivalent of A+++’s – and he’s in the advanced class. He’s not only answering the challenge questions correctly, he’s also asking for more challenging questions. He’s asking for help when he needs it – self-advocating like a pro – and his teacher sees him as a hard worker with a great deal of competence in the subject.
In other words, Shane is doing great in math. I asked if she had any trouble reading his writing and – as I could see quite clearly – she had none. Neither did I. His math problems were figured out rather neatly, actually.
So I went to meet with Shane’s other teacher – who teaches him reading, writing, science and social studies. I explained to her that I was worried about Shane’s writing and spelling. She showed me samples of his work and I asked several times, astounded, “Can you really read this?”
“Yes,” she said, laughing. “I can.”
I asked about his spelling and she showed me a spelling dictionary, which maybe Shane can use. She assured me that his spelling is not a big problem – and she said it in a way that made me believe it. I’m not nearly as worried about his handwriting or his spelling as I was at 4 a.m.
She said he’s getting an ES in vocabulary – again, a grade that requires exceptional work. She showed me samples of his writing and his wonderful word choices and the creative ways he structured his sentences. She sent me home with a stack of papers that are so fun to read, I’m practically giddy with anticipation.
The teacher said he took a big test to measure his reading ability. Fourth graders should have a 201 to be proficient. Shane scored a 220. He’s reading at a sixth grade level. His lexile reading level is over 1,000 – which is awesome. It’s particularly awesome because Shane loves numbers, and takes his lexile progression very seriously.
As a matter of fact, no one said anything bad about Shane. All of my worries appear to have been for naught.
Of course, I didn’t ask about his social life. But he seems perfectly content with his handful of close friends, even if he only spends time with them one at a time.
So when I picked up Shane after the conferences, he wanted to tell me about his school day – most notably, P.E., where he was tested in some kind of running/endurance test. While many kids in his class ran 13 or 18 times across the gym, Shane ran 31. So he’s not only brilliant, but also athletic – and apparently has some speed and endurance, too.
Of course, I knew this. Deep down, I knew it all along.
I’m only a parent so I can beg constantly for reassurance.