Report Card

J got his second report card today. I realized that I never posted about his first report card, so I'll summarize them both in this post.

Of course, elementary school report cards, and especially those for kindergarten, are quite soft. There aren't A's, B's, and C's, but S's, I's, and N's. Jared got all S's for "Satisfactory Development." Again, there's no grade for anything exceptional. I love how they report tardiness, since at this age, I'm sure the blame is purely parental.

Then there's another section that uses numbers. 1 is not meeting standard, 2 means that the child is learning well, 3 means they know their stuff, and 4 means above-level ability. J got all 3's except for one 4 in "counting to 31."

I was surprised that he only got one 4. I mean, they're learning to count objects and make a tick on a paper to represent each object, and he's multiplying and dividing in his head. They're learning sight words like "a" and "like," while he's reading 4th and 5th grade level books. How can he possibly not be getting 4's?

The clue is in the descriptions of the tasks they're requiring of the children. They didn't evaluate him on addition and subtraction, just "number systems," whatever that means. They graded him on stating the days of the week in order, and using a calendar to say today's date. These are things that you can't really excel at. You can do them, or you can't. He is just not in an environment that would show his reading or math abilities.

I had to laugh at his one 4: "Rote count to 31 by ones." This is the kid who comes downstairs to complain that he can't sleep, even though he counted all the way to 200 and then got bored.


The most interesting part is the teacher's comments. First quarter, she wrote:

"J is a very capable and intelligent young man. He excels in all areas. Keeping him challenged is a challenge for me. He is kind to others in the classroom."

This quarter, she wrote:

"J seems happier in kindergarten now. He often shares his knowledge with the group, enriching our discussions. I am happy to be his teacher."

My husband and I both commented, "I didn't know he wasn't happy before!" I'm guessing J's just gotten into the groove and isn't nervous about things. He seems to feel more comfortable with his knowledge, which is great. I really wish I could be a fly on that wall to see how he's doing! I want him to be confident and happy, without the arrogance he can sometimes show.