One Month Back-To-School Check-In

It's been a little over a month since Moo has been in school.  I thought since Moo has long since passed the baby and toddler stages, it'd be a great to chronicle some of her milestones from her first year of school.  Also, I'll be sharing my own list of things about what I like or what I'm looking forward to as a parent and what I don't like or what I'm not looking forward to.  So, let's get this one month check-in kicked off!

Moo's Milestones/Accomplishments/Likes

Friends:  After that Mean Girls incident on the first day of school, it took her a while to open up to the idea of trying to make friends.  However, after playing with a few different kids, she's found too girls that she likes and that seem to like and play well with her.  I'm excited.  She did have another friend, but she said the little girl was too bossy and started to become rude when Moo wouldn't let her boss her around.

Kudos to my Moo for standing up for herself and ending that friendship.  This mama is not raising any human punching bags!  She's expressed that it's hard for her to make friends with the "Brown Girls"  aka Black girls at her school.  I'm not going to lie that does bother me and get under my skin to a degree.  However, I'm not losing over it because a friend is a friend.  I didn't have a lot of Black or girl friends growing up and I guess it's going to be the same for my kids, especially once we move next year.

Teacher:  I've asked Moo on several occasions if she likes her teacher because I think it's crucial to a child's education that they on some level enjoy or respect their teachers.  Moo has said that she does, but then she said something the other day that gave me pause.  I had picked up some oranges for her to take for her lunch.  She quickly informed that she couldn't take oranges.  Of course, I asked why and she said "I don't like asking my teacher for help."

This so unlike Moo because she's that child will ask for help.  Sometimes, she asks for a little too much help.  I just got the feeling that she feels uncomfortable asking her teacher for help because her teacher might be discouraging them from asking her for help.  It was just how Moo said it.  And I'm all for kids being independent, but at the same time too much independence too soon is not good.  A child is a child for a reason. 

Moo's  only other dislike is that her teacher sometimes punishes the entire class for the actions of a few.  Now that I'm not down with at all.  Her method of punishment is to make them walk a track during their recess.  I'm all about sharing the load, but I'm not down with that sharing the punishment when my child has been following directions.

Learning:  Moo is steadily improving,especially in the handwriting department.  She writes all the time now.  I think I might have a mini writer in the making because she carries around a notebook and pen all the time.  She loves art, which was not surprising since she colors pretty much everyday.

Moo standing beside her monster artwork

She's doing great in math as well.  She's like a little counting pro.  I wasn't surprised about that either because she's forever counting the money in her piggy bank.  We've been working on her reading skills.  She was getting frustrated because she didn't know as many words as the teacher and I had to remind her that her teacher is grown and had to go through the same learning process.  In her mind, she thought she should have been born with the dictionary downloaded to her brain. 

She's also getting great at writing full sentences.  They practice writing stories in class and I'm amazed at the stories she creates.  I'm excited to help her nurture and expand her craft.

My Likes

As a parent, I like that her school is right around the corner literally.  Since, JJ and I are both sick and have been having some restless nights, we have been sleeping in a little longer.  If lived farther away, we wouldn't be able to do that and get her to school on time.  Pick-up is pretty easy too.

Moo is going on her first field trip this month and I couldn't be more excited.  I've signed up to be a chaperon.  I can't wait to post about it.  It'll also give me a chance to really put my camera to work and meet some of the other parents.  I have yet to connect with any parents from her school on a friendship level or any level for that matter.

My Dislikes

Some of the staff at her school have been quick to express their displeasure that more than a handful of us parents like to walk our children to their classrooms every morning.  As a matter of fact, I had to check one said teacher this morning.  We had had a bit of a run-in last month.  Anyways, I let it be known that I would be reserving my right to walk my child to her classroom for the remainder of the school year and I didn't want to hear boo else about it.

It's not like I'm giving them extra work to do by walking MY child to her class.  Moo asked me before school started if I would walk her everyday and I said yes.  My word to my children (or anyone else) is just that- my word, a spoken promise.  I'm not about to break that promise because some staff member feels like I'm coddling  her.  That interaction from this morning rubbed me the wrong way and I'll be speaking the principal about it.

Getting back to the field trip, I am not a fan of the fact that they don't issue any type of receipt.  I'll be bringing that issue up the principal as well because that's just a bad business/money practice.  If I pay for something, I expect a receipt in my hand the same day.

How's your child's first month of school going?  What are you liking/disliking?