C's Parent Teacher Conference

We have been beyond happy with Conner's pre-k teachers this year. They really seem to get him and are teaching him so very much. His first conference of the year went very well so I was hoping for more of the same. The conferences are only 15 minutes long which is not much time to talk about all that C has going on. So the time before mine was not taken so the teacher let me come a little early...when I was there, the person after me was a no show too, so I got about 45 minutes of time which was great. 

So, socially, Conner does very well (even though he tells me he doesn't have any friends at school...apparently that is common). He plays with many different kids and the kids are kind to him and take time to listen to everything he wants to say. He loves the morning meeting which is a time for the kids to talk and share information. His stuttering has been much better the last week and a half and that makes life/school a little easier for him. As we have seen so many times, it's really a cycle so I hope that it will continue to improve and I dread the day that it gets worse. The teachers have definitely noticed a difference. 

Conner struggles hugely with certain self-care and necessary tasks. He has trouble with his shoes, boots and snow pants and he can't zip his coat.. He is stubborn and it's hard for him so he is very resistant. It's frustrating that at times he won't even try even though I know how much he can do. He does fine with the bathroom mostly because his pants are either elastic waste or his jeans are so big that he can pull them up easily. I'm hoping this stuff will get easier but it's a very difficult battle to fight with him. Now we are talking about adding braces to his feet...getting shoes on is going to be torture. 

Handwriting is difficult but coming along and the teachers stressed to me that although handwriting used to be a big gauge for how kids are doing in school, teachers now know that there are many other things that determine intelligence. They have told me that Conner is very smart and that although some skills are challenging, that cognitively, he is doing really great. He thinks abstractly when necessary and really is getting some difficult concepts. His favorite things in school are story time, media (library), science and playing. He HATES handwriting at school. So it is challenging. 

Overall, it was a really great conference and I'm hoping that the skills that C has learned will continue on as he gets ready for kindergarten next year.