Let me just start this by saying, Alex and I have been going back and forth for months now on whether or not to pull Lila Grace out of Kindergarten. We held off to see if she got admitted to West Chester Friends School. If she didn't, repeating the same Kindergarten next year was not a good solution to our problem. Luckily, she was admitted and she is officially doing Kindergarten at the Friends School.
Lately, Lila hasn't wanted to go to school. She is stressed, still not understanding the math instruction, and, in general, not driven to be there. She begs to stay home with me. We have been doing a lot of schooling at home and she has made great progress. Her Kindergarten classroom moves at a very rapid pace, rarely revisits topics and does not have a writing program. Their goal is to get the kids to read and prepare them to do all sorts of math in First Grade. Well, Lila can read and the math is frustrating her to no end. Alex and I figured we could pull her out of Kindergarten, continue our writing and reading program at home and work on the math in a way that makes sense to Lila and doesn't stress her. She gets what she wants - to spend time with me, and I get what I want - a kid who is happy, writes and reads well and is confident in her math skills. Lila doesn't seem to have great emotional ties to her class so it seemed pretty clear that we should pull her.
Long story short, we sat around a table that hosted a variety of people; Lila's therapists, teacher, principal, guidance counselor, and district officials. We stated our plan and they went along with it nicely. We, however, were not prepared for what they told us. Lila seems to be emerging from her shell. She is voluntarily talking to her teachers now and making stronger connections with classmates. Her handwriting has taken off, and her reading is great. Math is still a struggle but we know this. There is talk of a writing program and her teacher is excited to see her excel in this area. She seems happy and well adjusted.
Yep. You guessed it. We didn't pull her out.
It became difficult to do so. I would have to sign up as a home school entity to continue her services. That wasn't a deal breaker but this, combined with the above, led me to think that I should leave her in and let her grow and mature. My goal was to fill her with love and build her confidence for the next five months at home. We do this anyway but it gets tricky when we are pushing her out the door in tears and begging us not to send her to school. She just wants to stay with me and I WANT her to stay with me. School is a pain in the neck. It is a fight many mornings and takes away the flexibility of our day. But, we couldn't deny the fact that she is doing well. There were no academic indicators that have her flagged for instructional support. She is doing exactly what she should be doing for a Kindergartener.
In the end, we broke it down like this. Lila's report card was great. She struggles in math but has mastered the concepts she needs for the second trimester of Kindergarten. We are in a district that pushes the kids far beyond that point. She isn't ready to be pushed. She struggles with instructions and still needs a variety of vocabulary when they are given. Lila is a slow worker and will most likely struggle with this for years to come. She is immature and we know this. That being said, she is on grade level in ALL areas. Her teacher mentioned that she doesn't even progress monitor Lila with reading. She is doing great and presents no concerns.
I still think there are issues. I think she needs extra support in math. I don't feel in my heart that she is doing as well as her teacher reports but, I am not the teacher. It is FAKE Kindergarten. If she is learning and happy (she sure puts on an act at home that would point to the contrary) what will 60 more days of school hurt? Actually, it hurts something. It hurts my heart. I was very much looking forward to spending this time with my girl and not shoving her in the car every morning until June 8th.
I have love having this girl to myself in the afternoons. I will miss her so much next year. We have turned into splendid buddies. I will feel lost without her.
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