More on the Chronicles of the Lonely Kindergartener...
Tonight Ethel told me that she got to help make Thursday folders today. The Thursday folder is a program that Principal instituted this school year in an attempt to get parents involved in the kids' schooling. The Thursday folder comes home with each child on, you guessed it - Thursday. The folder is to be emptied (and assumed that the parent(s)/guardian(s) will read what's included within) and returned to school on Friday. Easy peasy! Almost immediately, Principal announced that the return rate was over 75%. Very cool.
To back track a little, Ethel has been a bit forlorn about her mornings alone in the office on days she takes the bus from day care. I mentioned it to her teacher, Mrs. P, who said she would be happy to help come up with a solution for Ethel in the mornings. Last Friday, I talked to the school secretary, Mrs. K, as well, since she's the one who has to stare at the poor kid in the morning and in the afternoon. She was very sympathetic, and said that she does try to talk to Ethel, but Ethel is a bit shy sometimes (I know, it *is* a little difficult to believe if you've met her). I told Mrs. K that I was not asking to break any child labor laws or get her on the payroll, but if there was something simple Ethel could help with, would she mind engaging Ethel. That idea was met with wondrous approval, and Mrs. K said she'd start Monday morning with something for Ethel to help with. I mentioned to Mrs. K that Mrs. P said she'd be willing to help give Ethel something to do, and she said they'd work together. Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about! Yeah!!!
So, Ethel finished her homework tonight and began playing in the kitchen while I made dinner. While she was playing she started talking to me, and she told me she got to make Thursday folders today. It dawned on me that she probably got to help Mrs. K in the office this morning! Wow!! Ethel began to tell me all about the Thursday folders, why they go home, what's in them, and she even knows how many students are in the school (a pretty accurate number). It didn't strike me until she was done telling me about it, but when I realized that my talks with Mrs. P and K had resulted in something that Ethel would come home to brag about, I felt much better about Ethel's mornings before school on her day care days. Ethel really didn't have much more to say about the Thursday folders, but I'll try to remember to ask her more about the activity when we get up tomorrow morning.
In other news, I was unable to make it to the PTO meeting tonight. :( I also missed last night's school board meeting. Nothing like starting a home improvement project and giving yourselves one week to complete it, and doing so the week there are two meetings, the week I wanted to go running after work at least twice, and the week that we would get a pretty good snowfall. The best laid plans..., right? I should do better with my scheduling, I know, but I *will* do better from now on. I can still write to the superintendent of the district, the school board president, and the president of the PTO to find out all the fun that I missed these past two nights. Right? Sure.
So cool that the teacher listened to you, remembered what you suggested and then cared enough to follow through! Now that's what I call a really good teacher! I wish there were more like that! :)
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