Meet the Teacher - Part 2

Achu and I walk into class...
T: Ahaa! ( shakes her head the way I wouldn't want her to) Rohit isn't getting his alphabets right..
Achu swirls, twirls and gives out a shy smile
Me: Well I made him write the alphabets at home and he did well Ma'am
T: That won't do....Amma just get his Assessment book ( she asks the attendant akka)
Me: I had a look at the book Ma'am and made him repeat it and he was ok
( T shakes her head again...and flips through the book  until she gets to the page that caused the whole show)
T: Look more than half wrong...he is not getting it right....please GET a FOUR line book and GET him to SIT EVERYDAY and write all the alphabets from A-Z once...then give him a dictation ...jumble them up ok?

( A slight level of giddiness had set into my brain as the whole episode was reaching THAT stage of getting my poor teeny weeny boy to SIT for a stretch of  'impossible' time (which can range from 1 minute to nearly 3 hrs) EVERYDAY...this I didn't want to happen but might have to happen...I'll tell you why...read )

Me: Ma'am could it be because he lacks concentration or couldn't hear the teacher when the dictation was on? ( Aha! That should get her thinking...hmmm)

A feeble voice from behind rudely interrupted my interpretation...It was T2...The teacher who conducted the dictation. She was the substitute (parent) who was managing Achu's class for the past 2 weeks while his teacher was on vacation

T2: No...Actually Rohit got all the alphabets wrong and I made him sit next to me and write ..I didn't want to help him since I thought it wasn't fair ...being an assessment test....( there goes my case and so Achu AN dI might have to work a bit )
T: See...he HAS to get it right
T2: In class ...when its from the board he is doing good...( hip hip hooray hollered my heart ..that's something positive :)...)
Me:(The weather was cool but sweat pearls settled on my forehead and upper lip for reasons evident) Ok I will do that...Can you do a re-assessment ?
T: ( Sensing my disappointment) Oh That's ok. We can't do another assessment but we don't give marks do we...So it should be fine if he knows how to write that's all.
Me: Can you please test him some time in the coming weeks so we know where he stands?
T: We'll do that. Will do it in December ok?
Me:( Glad,settled with a restrained smile ) Thank You

I nod at T2 and T and leave with a not so comfortable feeling.

Me: Achu miss paranja keta ...let's practise everyday and We'll get Sudha Miss to give you 2 stars instead of 1 what do u say???????
Achu: (Ignoring)
Me: WHAT DO U SAY?OK??????
Achu: hmmmm ok

For the next few weeks
Achu = Achusuto (of the Jackie Chan clan ) , the hopefully obedient disciple
Me = The Tai-chi Master of the lost UKG Nation
To reclaim the title = The master of  Alphabetric Transcription

Wish us luck and a lot more......:D

Double U

Yesterday Achu had dictation at school and he didn't do very well. His teacher sent word that Achu boy needs to get his alphabets right.

Oh don't worry am not worried at all. The boy is five...give him some time. But I just wanted to check if its concentration he lacked or he really didn't know the alphabets. So Achu had night school yesterday with Me as his Teacher.

Me: Ok Children take out your book and pencil and write the letter W
Achu: Amma...oops Miss look I wrote W
Me: Good Boy ...sanjay stop talking and write like Rohit ..Achu smiles...me too :)

Achu: Now tell me Miss why do we call W... Double U when we write Double V
Me: Hmmmmm Actually W is Double U but we write Double V...we can also write Double U..but in school your taught to write Double V ok...Phew!
Achu: Ok .....( thoughtfully)
Me: (Happy achu is happy with the explanation)....Ok next letter P
Achu: So At home we will call W Double V and in school we will call W Double U OK
Me: ( I knew something was coming)....Fine write the next letter P

We will have a detailed talk on the Double UV some sunny sunday baby !

BTW Achu got all the alphabets right. Concentration in class is what my boy needs to work on.

I have been asked to meet the teacher tomorrow....Am quite experienced at it now...let's see how it goes :)

Meet the teacher

The first parents teachers meet at school after achu started UKG. We waited for almost an hour before we were called in.

"Ohhhh Achu....he should be an actor" said the teacher
He shoots so many expressions in a micro second"....thanks to Mr.Bean ( No I didn't mention he watches the runs and the reruns religiously)

"Here's what I observed about achu .He is a silent and shy boy...who doesn't mingle with other kids...but has lately become very naughty and annoys other kids to get their attention....."

"So do both of you spend time with him" - I nod ...don't know what M did

"you are not spending enough time with him...work is not everything...do you know the letter formations to teach him?....this is the syllabus...teach him...sit with him"

I keep nodding

"Its not the father ...he might not have the time ...YOU the mother has to be with him"....(THIS is where I went GRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I could sense M giving a smirk behind my back.......but didn't open my mouth....does the father have only one responsibility and that is to sow the seed????....)

I bear up with rest of the talk with a smiley stuck to my face....but what's running behind my mind is still running.....how could she tell me I had to be MORE responsible for my child than the father.....HOW and WHY ....I do everything M does and more...but still its the mother that is pulled up....

But all said and done....I am going to spend more time with achu...not because the teacher said or not because I am guilty...its because I want to and I am sure it will make a difference....

Updated later : In the grrr mood I forgot to tell you that the teacher mentioned that achu was very intelligent and imaginative....:D

The Case and Verdict

Points against little Achu and big me
- He day dreams in class
- He smiles to himself
- He doesn't mingle with the other kids
- His Ws have their mouths wide open
- His 3s don't look good
- U work
- U are not spending time with him
- U don't know what's happening at school

And then she explained what she taught the kids all through the month with me nearly feeling dizzy and totally guilty......

Facts of the Case

- Achu watches too much of Mr.Bean and so he often morphs into Mr.Bean himself....that explains the talking and smiling part
- Achu day dreams when he is bored and knows what is being told....don't all boys do that?
- Achu has always done self play....no neighbors his size, no relatives close by his size...so where is the question of mingling....he is kinda choosy with who he plays...a true cancerian
- He will be jus 5 tomorrow and I don't want to pressurise a 5 yr old to get his Ws and 3s right...they will be good when they have to...( though I know of a dozen kids who can write the alphabets in reverse and count to 100 )
- I work but I do spend time with him....maybe not like the other moms ...maybe lacking a bitta quality...but M and I make it a point to sit with him when he does his homework
- My boy comes back home and sings a song or narrates a story he heard at school...BUT does not tell me what lessons were taught....maybe that's where his interest lies
- I came back home and asked Achu all that the teacher told me....questioned him...asked him to draw it on the board....and to my delight he could recollect every single thing the teacher had done at school

The verdict

So the next day i went to school with all the good news and she was glad he was attentive though he seemed disinterested.

She said it was good I got back to her.

So we mutually agreed to

1. Meet weekly to pass on what happened during the week
2. Get him to join drawing or dance ( she was surprised to know he took part in dance and singing in Pre school and lkg)
3. Make him write something on the lines everyday ( I guess a little bitta writing will get him used to the idea of having to sit in one place for a ten minute stretch :)...)

Personal steps

1. No more Mr.Bean. The theme of his 5th birthday was to be Mr.Bean. But it isn't anymore. Must get this guy out of my son's system
2. A desk tops Achu's birthday gift list
3. Don't miss a chance to hug my lil boy...he's a bright little boy you know :D

And then the teacher called

J (who looks after Achu when am at work) was leaving in the evening after the days work.She reached the front door and then turned towards me and said "Achu's teacher wants to meet you". Then she hurriedly left as the first drops of rain dampened the hot soil.She left me with a thousand questions for which I matched ten thousand probable answers and a handful of favorable ones out of those.

Flashback 1: Achu came home after school and said "Amma today we were asked to cover our faces and I dozed off.....
Me: were u asked to sleep?
Achu: no i just dozed off
Me: oh-oh

Flashback 2:
A: School is boring .They make us sit in one place for soooo long
M: Atleast they can do that :):):)
A: Poooo Amma

Flashback 3:
A: Amma I hate homework. I won't do mine
M: Oh kutta...let's surprise Acha come come
A: No I won't...Itchichi Amma..
(then he does it after a lot of 'let's surprise' talks...the only thing that works nowadays)

Flashback 4:
M: Who are your friends Achu?
A: Ohhh please don't ask me...
M: tell me na....there's sanjay...then I forgot hmmmm
A: Megha :)
M: Yeah megha and then
A: that's allllllllllll

Many more 'Achu and school' episodes had re-runs in my mind....

May be Achu is sleeping in class
May be he is a loner
May be he isn't good at school
May be he doesn't talk (courtesy: I am Mr.Bean)

Or the happy ones

May be there's an event coming up
May be they want to just meet the parents
May be they need some extra fees

Oh Whatever....I have to meet the teacher tommorow