Tuesday, September 20, 2005

School conferences

Yesterday I had a telephone conference with Colin's preschool teacher. It was a little tedious. Mostly because his teacher, who is very nice, talks in that breathy, sing-songy happy mode all the time. It's not baby talk, but it's close. "Hello, Jennifer, how are you?!? Thank you for taking time to talk to me today! We are just going to talk about Colin and our goals for him this year! I'm really enjoying him! Do you think he is enjoying school?!?"

Granted, Colin is only 28 months old, so there's just not that much expected of him. We talked about his strengths (he is easy-going, adaptable, and kind). She asked me what goals I had for him this year, and I said, "Well, potty-training..." She agreed that they would work on that. And scissoring! She has noticed Colin needs more skills with the scissors, and with learning how much glue is appropriate for a project. "Well, I'm not surprised he's not that good with scissors, since I haven't really let him use them yet..." I said. She said, "Uh huh!! And you know, we'll work on math skills, like even during lunch time, we might make a chart of how many students brought sandwiches and how many brought LUNCHABLES!"

There are only about 8 children in Colin's class, and they only go twice a week, so I can't believe the parents can't manage to make a sandwich, cut up some fruit, and throw in some yogurt 2 days a week to send to school for lunch! And that there are enough Lunchables there to fill a column on a chart! No wonder Texas children have an obesity epidemic (sadly much higher than other states).

Anyway, Colin's teacher kept droning cheerfully on, then reviewed with me the notes she took about our conversation. I wish Anna's Montessori school was more proactive with parent-teacher communication, but at least none of them talk like that!

With elementary school around the corner, I fear I will have to sit through a lot more conferences like this one.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Funny,Jenn. I know the tone of voice your talking about...Its like this happy-kiddy voice...can't quite explain it. I know some people like that - and it drives me crazy!!! Whew, you did good having a conference with someone like that. =)

Give the kids hugs and kisses for me!

Love ya -Bevie-

Jessica said...

Oh, lunchables. I remember when kids used to come to school with those and I thought they were so lucky. My mom would never buy Lunchables unless it was like a special occassion. I remember one time my mom asked me what I wanted and I told her a Lunchable Pizza. That was really the only time I had one. It happened to be my birthday. Other times I would eat a PB&J sandwich, a fruit or some sort and usually something salty like pretzels. My mother was a huge fan of pretzels.

Oh, man, what I would give for a lunch made by my mommmy. :) No one could ever make a PB&J sandwich like her!

Unknown said...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghh! to quote Charlie Brown. I cannot stand for anyone to talk to me in lithium-speak. Ever since that first baby nurse, ugh, the memories are flooding back. Yikes!

How ironic about the scissor skills thing. I'm working to put a video clip on my blog of Paige and Graham using scissors for the first time just this week. Technical help might be required, so put Anth on notice. hee hee. Anyway, I went to SAM'S club and bought a school pack of blunt ones. We are starting with trimming hedges/shrubs. I think it is a little more gratifying for them than trying to start out with construction paper. (But I did buy an industrial size pack of that, too.) Just a little unsolicited advice from the little sister, hope you don't mind.

As for lunchables, just the thought makes me feel constipated. Too much processed food!!!!

Anonymous said...

hahaha great stuff,Jennifer(the scissors part)..I remember a Cousins' Wife telling me that she gave the sharpest KNIVES in her kitchen to her 2 Boys to use to 'teach them to be careful of SHARP knives' !!!!!(she also gave them a soup'cion of ARSENIC regularly) !!and they were only about 5 and 6 years old...since she told me about the Arsenic (she has a Degree in Chemistry)I have read that it is a 'done thing' in some peoples' 'daft' minds!!!I think you are very lucky to have a Teacher take so much interest in Colin O before he starts school 'proper'..love. x

Anonymous said...

I read Jess's comment and a flood of memories came over me. I,like her, BEGGED and pleaded with my mom for years to buy me lunchables! Mind you, this was in elementary school....=)I hardly ever got them... my mom thinks they look and tastes like "plastic food"....My typical elementary luch consisted of: a PB&J sandwich,a fruit(ie: grapes or canned peaches), and chips.

Looking back now, I'm glad I didn't eat lunchables as regularly as most kids at my school did. They just simply aren't healthy!

Jess,I know how you felt ...but aren't you glad we never consumed too many of those things?

Sandwich Moms ROCK!

Love-Bevie-

Emily said...

I'm glad Colin has a good teacher, but I hope she's not as dingy as her voice!
I, too, remember envying kids with Lunchables, but agree that REAL food tastes so much better and is much better for you. I love the emphasis on healthy foods at Anna's school.

Jessica said...

I agree Bevie!!!! Sandwich Moms are the best!

P.S. Jennifer: now you know how to be the coolest mom in school! :)

Vetmommy said...

I love these internet discussion groups! How else could so many diverse people in far flung locales have a conversation like this? Thank you all for participating.

Paula didn't weigh in, but I now know she would never feed her son a Lunchable.

Anonymous said...

Sorry I was late joining in Jenn, I had the delights of Root Canal Surgery today and felt like ****!!! Ahh dear cousin you know me well!! No I would never feed Luke Lunchables I think they are dreadful, I've never tasted them but it is all so "plastic"!! Yuk Yuk. I remember begging mum to buy cheese slices (now known as cheese food slices!!), I thought it was sooo fab, that is until I tried them YUK YUK YUK!!!! I can't understand how anyone could justify packing their child off to school with that for their lunch, how long does it take to cut a sandwich and throw some fruit together?? Minutes!!! OOOh I do love a rant!!! Luke went to a nursery for a few hours a week and they swore to me that they had a healthy eating policy, great I thought, until I discovered that Luke had been given a slice of pork pie (!!??) and cheese spread with ritz crackers on at least 2 of the sessions he was there (what is that about??!!). He doesn't go there now! Jenn, I know what you mean about the sing songy voice of the teacher - dreadful!! As for the scissors - don't get me started!! Tee Hee XXX

Julie said...

Ooh, I hate that voice! My stepson's 4th grade teacher was like that and it drove me NUTS! Good luck to you!

Vetmommy said...

Yeah, but what I wouldn't give for a slice of pork pie... there's nothing like that in Texas.

The Library Lady said...

I'm ashamed to admit that I DO let the girls eat lunchables once or twice a week, but I limit which kinds I let them have. Some of them are low fat and don't have too much junk in them. SC would prefer the fatty ones, but....

I used to be horrified about them too, but after years of packing school lunches for 2, something had to give, and it was either that or my sanity!

I hate when teachers and other adults use that nicey-nicey voice. It sounds straight off of the show I love to hate "Barney". I NEVER talk to kids that way. They'd rather you talk OVER their heads than baby them that way, even when they're little!

"Scissors skills" at 2? Boy, and I thought they were pushy about schools in VA! Around here I'm usually working on that with the 3 and 4 year olds who come to programs...

Anonymous said...

I'm so old... when I went to school, Lunchables didn't even exist!

(Did I mention I had to walk five miles to school through blizzards while not wearing any shoes?)

Anonymous said...

When Leigh-Ann told me about the Lunchables discussion, I was incredulous that anyone with kids could've even been of an age where Lunchables were available when they went to school. Dammit, I must face the facts, I'm REALLY old.

Oh, and shhh, I'd never even had a Lunchable until I met Leigh-Ann, when she made me buy a couple of them. We haven't had any years. We got the ones with little crackers, cheese and meat slices. Sue me, I liked 'em.

My mom made me sandwiches in elementary school or gave me 45 cents (wrapped in foil) to buy lunch in the cafeteria. I loved those weird school hamburgers that tasted more like oatmeal than meat.