Quick update before kids come home. Had parent/teacher interview with Edzea’s teacher, Mrs. Cardy, today. Edzea’s doing well as expected. She mentioned a few things:

Edzea demands quite a bit of attention, always has lots of questions, gets concepts much quicker than everyone else and so takes things to heart and thinks about them a lot.

This led into a conversation about the lockdown/fire drill earlier in the week which I forgot to prep her for. Her teacher felt badly because it was a bit chaotic and Edzea seemed to understand more than the other kids what it was all about and hence was extremely concerned about the fire and getting out of the school. Her teacher didn’t have time to answer all of her questions and hence…sent her to draw about it…she drew a huge fire with screaming children all around.

High aptitude for art, no surprise there. Lots of drawings. Teacher had a hard time getting her away from the art table for the first 6 weeks. She’s now finally heading into other stations now. She mentioned that she is way ahead in her visual communication, drawing, letters etc.

Is way ahead with reading etc. Teacher will be sending home books beginning in January. Every night a different book. She had some suggestions to work with Edzea more on sight words and less focus on phonetics which is what I had been doing. She is concerned that I need to be careful not to turn her off reading. I had sent notes in her lunch bag last week and one day, she mentioned that Edzea had quite a bit of attitude about the note. Refused to look at it, didn’t want it in her bag etc. Nothing new. She says that if Edzea sees anything as failure then she may get turned off. We know this. Perfectionist tendencies.

So she suggests that I keep getting her to write, her versions of words/sentences and not to correct her but to point out the letters that she got right!

Socially, I was concerned as she often comes home and mentions that she is having some difficulty with her friends. Mrs. Cardy in  a very nice way mentioned that Edzea likes things to be “her” way and that she does have great ideas but it might help her if she let other people lead occasionally and follow their ideas as well. Also, to suggest to her to smile a bit more-she’s been scowling at people lately when she doesn’t get her way. Let her know that it is more welcoming and makes friends want to be around you more if you smile.

In general, kept saying she is sophisticated and because she’s so bright don’t lead her so much as let her direct her learning as much as possible.

Is very sophisticated, very bright. Feels that maybe we should consider having her learn an instrument. Feels that she needs a cognitive challenge and that it would keep her busy during times when she needs more. Reading music, playing by ear etc. Feels that would be a great thing for Edzea.