Wednesday, September 10, 2014

When the Teacher Calls

Alyssa is in the sixth grade. I have never, EVER received a phone call from one of her teachers. Not while at work during school hours, not at home in the evening. Just…never.

Olivia’s teachers? I can’t actually count how many calls I’ve received from either a teacher or the school secretary over the past three years she’s been in school.

Just this year alone, I’ve received two calls, one at 2:50 on a Thursday, just ten minutes before she was due to get on the bus. The school secretary was calling to let me know that O fell at school and was in the nurse’s office with an ice pack on her head. Spoiler alert: She was fine.

The second call came last night at around 6:30. The girls were finishing up dinner, Tom was away visiting his brother.

I answered the phone and when O’s teacher, Mrs. A identified herself, my first thought was, “Uh oh, are we having a rough year already?”

I didn’t think this because of anything O’s done at home. At home she’s been happy, relaxed, sleeping well (for her, not for a typical seven year old) and just plain normal for us.

The first thing Mrs. A said was that she was calling for all good reasons.

Whew! That was a relief.

She wanted to let me know that Olivia will start bringing home ‘word lists’ each Wednesday, starting today. The following Wednesday, Olivia will be tested on the spelling of these words. Basically, it’s a weekly spelling test but we’re not calling it that for some reason. Whatever. Mrs. A suggested that I work with Olivia on spelling these words out verbally rather than having her write them because writing takes so much concentration on Olivia’s part that sometimes the writing is the exercise and not the spelling.

I suggested at that point that Olivia be allowed to take her ‘word tests’ using a keyboard because that girl is GOOD with a keyboard. I don’t want to negate the importance of her working on her handwriting but when the content is more important that the way that content is conveyed, perhaps a keyboard would work. Mrs. A liked my idea and will work on implementing it.

Would you look at that, it’s like we’re a team or something, working toward a common goal. I am so grateful for this.

Next Mrs. A told me that Olivia’s communication this year is going really well. O is talking to Mrs. A in a classroom even when others are present, something she wouldn’t do last year. She (Olivia) is even talking to the new aide in the class, someone she’s never met before this year. She will also nod at one of the other first grade teachers. She’s not talking to her peers yet but we all have faith she’ll get there.

This was so nice to hear.

I know that Olivia can be trying when she refuses to answer a question. To have her teacher call me four weeks into the school year to tell me that Olivia is initiating conversations with the school librarian is awesome.

Having her teacher tell me that my child, my willful, shy, sweet child is a joy to work with, to hear her say that Olivia is answering questions and surprising her teacher with all that she really does know warms my heart.

I’ve always wanted her teacher to see her the way I do. I know they can’t possibly see her exactly as I do. I’m her mom, I love her and I think she’s amazing. I realize that teachers aren’t going to see her in that light. So to listen to her teacher tell me how much fun she is to have in class, how smart she is and how great it is to actually hear her voice, cue mommy tears.

The only low point of the conversation was when her teacher mentioned the fact that Olivia still won’t eat her lunch at school. I told her we were aware of this and that we still sent lunch every day and the minute she gets home each day, she sits at the kitchen table with her dad and eats her lunch.

But Mrs. A, in true inspiring teacher fashion, turned the subject back to a positive. She told me that she and Olivia have their classroom to themselves each day right after lunch. She said they’re alone in there for about twenty minutes and she wanted my permission for her to sit with Olivia at a table in the classroom so that maybe Mrs. A could encourage Olivia to eat some of her lunch. She thought the pressure of the cafeteria might be too much for Olivia and being in the quiet setting of the classroom, without others around to watch, might get her to eat. I absolutely agreed with this plan. I want Olivia to eat at school if possible. I want her brain to have nutrition and calories to work through the afternoon.

I feel like we got so, so lucky this year to have Mrs. A working with Olivia. I know Olivia is happy and knowing that Mrs. A sees me and Tom as part of O’s educational team is just the icing on the cake.

1 comment:

Julie said...

Oh this makes me so happy!!!