Parent/Teacher Conferences - Ready for the Big K!

This morning Shawn & I went to preschool to speak with Mrs. Zimmerman during her parent/teacher conference time (thanks, Mamaw, for watching Ryan & Caleb!). Mrs. Zimmerman first told us some general comments about Joshua - she said he is a very happy boy and he's very smart. He seems to love doing the activities, and he's a quick learner. He is very kind to the other children and extremely respectful of her. He has a very nice disposition and personality. :) :) :)

Then she showed us the academic assessment of him. His entire page was full of "O's" which means "Observed Consistently." There were no "developing" or "not observed" in any area. The categories were Social/Emotional Skills with areas like "choosing and completing activities," "accepting and responding to my teacher, "respecting and showing concern for people around me," "playing and sharing cooperatively with others," "resolving my own conflicts appropriately," "using good manners" and "having appropriate control over my feelings." All of them were observed consistently throughout both fall and winter.

Next was Large Motor Skills - running with control & direction, balancing on one foot, hopping on one foot, walking on the balance beam, climbing and playing easily on playground equipment, throwing a large ball, catching a large ball and kicking a large ball. From my little man needing physical therapy at a young age, he's sure come a long way. They were all observed consistently, no need for any improvement.

Next was Fine Motor Skills - holding writing tools correctly, printing my name, printing other letters, holding scissors correctly (WOW!), cutting straight and curved lines, putting 12+ piece puzzles together and manipulating small objects such as beads, legos, snaps, etc. I specifically asked about his cutting skills because of his evaluation last year, and she said that he's doing well. She worked with him in the beginning of the year because her son is left-handed, too, but in everything he's been doing very well and sees no problems whatsoever. All were given an "O" or the highest rating.

Next was Language Development Skills - listening quietly, responding to a story by answering questions, communicating in complete sentences, joining in group discussions comfortably and relevantly, and initiating and continuing conversations with his peers and teacher. All of these were observed consistently. She did note that there are times that he'll volunteer to answer a question and then get intimidated when she calls on him and chooses to stay silent. She knows that he knows the answer since he's "very smart" but she said he sometimes loses his self-confidence. I asked for her opinion on what will help that, and she said just to keep showing him love like we already do and as he grows and feels more confident in who he is as a person, these things will naturally work themselves out.

The next section was Reading Readiness Skills - reading books, saying or singing the alphabet, identifying likenesses and differences, identifying positional words (top/bottom, over/under, etc), interested in what words say and mean, answering questions in the beginning and middle and end of story, predicting what will happen next in story, recognizing letter sounds, figuring out words using letters and sounds and pictures. He got an observed consistently on all of these.

In Math Readiness Skills, she said that in the fall he counted to 50 immediately, categorizes objects by shape or color or size, compares two sets by more or less, counting to ten with one-to-one correspondence and completing patterns. All were observed consistently.

The last section on this page was Practical/Self-help Skills where he knows and says his first and last name, knows address and phone number, completes tasks even when interrupted without prompts, follows directions and willingly helps clean up. Again, he got an observed consistently in every single category.

On the back of the form, she showed us that he recognized all his capital and lowercase letters, knew all the colors, knew all the numbers asked of him and recognized all shapes and could draw them on his own. She said academically and socially, he's definitely ready for school. I asked if there was anything I need to do to make him more prepared and she said that he's doing absolutely fantastically.

She then went through his portfolio and I was genuinely surprised to see his artwork. She showed us how he could draw things in a pattern, and his turkey drawing was great! His snowman was also great. She said that all pieces were there, even though his scarf was around his belly and not his neck. :) :) :) We've worked on drawing some at home, but his improvement from last year to this year is unbelievable. She also showed us his progress in drawing himself from the beginning of the year to now - his lines are more confident and controlled, and he's writing his letters lowercase instead of all uppercase. There has been progress throughout the year, I can tell.

Afterward, she read us the notes that she put in his evaluation. It says (in her handwriting): "Joshua is a kind boy. He enjoys playing with his classmates. During circle time, Joshua is attentive and answers questions. He seems to enjoy the variety of activities at preschool. It has been a pleasure to have Joshua in my class."

Then she asked if she could pray for our family. As we bowed our heads, she thanked God for Joshua and for all the Lord has planned for his life. She prayed blessing over him as he starts kindergarten. She prayed that God would reveal His greater plans for Joshua to him, and she thanked God for our family and even our other boys by name. She asked God to remind Joshua that He will never leave him nor forsake him. It was a really special time of prayer - one that I hope not to forget.

How I respect Joshua's preschool teacher! She is strict. She works hard to keep them moving and interested in activities throughout their time at preschool. Yet she is loving and prayerful. She told me she prays for the children everyday on her way to work.

We were pleased to hear such a good report. It was even better than I was expecting! I know Joshua is smart and respectful, but I'm glad to hear that he does well in school as well. I'm also so glad that he really enjoys school. That will serve him well as he continues on in life.

To celebrate, we picked Joshua up together and took him out for a milkshake. He LOVED it! :) Great job, buddy! I'm glad that you're ready for big boy kindergarten this fall!