Monday, May 25, 2009

Prep K and the Mini Concert.

Cherub's teacher K is exactly what you'd hope to get if you were ordering the perfect prep teacher. She is sweetness and light and the children do everything she asks of them instantly and cheerfully, just because they adore her. There is perfect order in the classroom and happy, busy students. Cherub has a major crush on her and I don't blame him. I've done a couple of parent helper sessions with the class and been so impressed with her organisation and her way with the children. They are eating out of her hand. And she is really good with the parent helpers, has a box full of little activities for us to do with them, with instructions and props and everything. She is just wonderful.

Anyway, on Friday Fixit and I attended our first Open Morning with Cherub's Prep Class. This means the parents trundle in for an hour and find out what the kids have been up to. I should probably have guessed that K would excel in Open Mornings as in all her teaching endeavours. WE didn't just amble in and look at workbooks. Oh no. I mean, we did get to sit at their tables, which were all laid out with their work books, underneath a cheery checklist of all the things to do together including some hands-on activities. But first we watched an adorable performance of We're Going On A Bear Hunt, with K reading and the kids reciting along and doing suitable actions, (Cherub got to squelch the gumboots for the thick, oozy mud part, so proud) followed by a lovely song about Autumn Leaves -again with actions- and this time also singing. And I think I will squeeze in a quick plug here - or maybe it is more of an affirmation- and mention that I have a number of tap-dancing students in that class and they stood out noticeably for their fine work on the actions. If only my readership was closer to home I would be telling you right now that if you want your child to totally ace their preppy concert, you should absolutely send them to my tap dancing school.

You know, if that sort of thing is important to you.

Ahem. Where was I? Oh yes.

Cherub is far more what I expected in a child of mine, scholastically speaking. It's not that Climber isn't equally bright but he's different. He's an absorber, a dreamer, a multi-tasker (examining the paperclip AND taking in every word of the story being read to him), he is shyer and more sensitive. And much more interested in swinging on the monkey bars than any classroom activity. So picture me, the girly swot mother, the academic high achiever, the quintessential teachers' pet, with her dreamy, climbing firstborn and you will see that I was puzzled by him and the way he rarely put his hand up in class. I really had to rethink my expectations. Cherub on the other hand, ticks all my boxes. He likes to sit up the front, he wants K to pick him and his hand goes up a LOT. His work is clearly good and there was lots of it to see, including actual finished stuff. It all made me think that it was lucky I had them in the order I did. If Cherub had been the first born I might have been too set in my ways and expectations to let Climber walk his own path.

17 comments:

  1. I want to send my boys to your prep school! How proud a mother you are, with your superstar sports boy and your superstar academic boy. They can both make it big in their respective areas, and provide for you and Fixit in the manner in which you'd like to become accustomed. Just plant those seeds so that they will think it's their own idea, and so that it doesn't occur to them that there's any alternative. Mwahahaha... :)

    Seriously, though, you MUST be a beaming proud mama.

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  2. Fascinating. It's an interesting question, how one parents two kids and adapts to their ways. Sounds like they're both doing well, but each in a different manner.

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  3. Maybe I'll have to take a leaf from your book and stop letting my year 12 boy drive me demented with the amount of homework he does. At least he's doing SOME, I guess...

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  4. It's funny, because I have never thought of Climber as shy at all.

    I'm glad Cherub is having a good time.

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  5. Well. He's shyer than Cherub if you know what I mean. He's not actually technically shy but much less likely to put himself forward until he's found his feet.

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  6. A good teacher is worth their weight in gold.

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  7. I think maybe it is a second child thing. Sounds eerily familiar.

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  8. Having a great Prep teacher is such a good thing. I still remember the prep teacher I had (soooo many years ago), Miss Doyle, because she was so good.

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  9. My two come in the opposite order. My swot was born first and my dreamer with enormous potential came second. I learnt lots from my second and was taught important lessons about myself.

    What a little star your Cherub is! I love positive teacher stories.

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  10. My first two are so very different from each other. And the third is kind of a blend of the first two. (I guess the moral of the story is that if you keep going, you eventually get one that's almost normal).

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  11. A good first teacher is so important. Out of the two of mine who are at school, one had a lovely teacher, one had a dreadful teacher and unfortunately the dreadful teacher had a massive impact. Really makes you wonder why some people go in to teaching. I'm glad that Cherub has a great teacher.

    It is so hard not to project your own expectations and aspirations onto your kids. Good on you for being so aware of it.

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  12. I may have a bit of a crush on K as well! J.T.'s Kindergarten class did the Bear Hunt for us too and I loved it! They had such a good time showing off for us parents. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how good his teacher was until the next year, when we had a not-so-good teacher.

    My two are night and day. J.T. is shy and cautious and is only just now finding his academic footing, while Abby is the opposite. She taught herself to write her name before she turned three, long before I thought to teach her. But they both are unique and have given me more insight into human nature and my own nature than I would ever have thought possible.

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  13. It's no joke that we learn from our children....
    It's smart to find out early that they are not extensions of us but unique individuals. A good teacher is a treasure!

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  14. Such a proud Mum and rightly so! Your boys are lovely.
    Mine are the reverse, I think. Our first born is the typical first born child of two first born children.
    Then No. 2 came along, who is equally bright and clever, but very much his own person and we wonder where the hell he came from!

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  15. My darlings are in the opposite order to yours too. My concientious swot is No.1 and my social, dreamy, work avoider is No.2. It is VERY difficult to resist comparing their styles & output. He knuckles down and rises to pressure; she cries. Times tables...don't get me started.
    Certainly can't get HER started. Grade 5, aaarrrggghhhh.

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  16. You know I've said it before, but, Oh how I wish I could send my boys to your tap dancing class!

    Cherub's teacher sounds magical.

    My dreamer is first born too, and we were just talking about how we're so glad they're in the order they are. (Mostly because Z would be a tyrant of a big brother, but as it stands, they're best friends.)

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