An Exuberant Student

Well, she has gone and done it again. Melanie left the keys to her blog out and now I have a chance to take over for a few minutes. Okay, let’s be honest, she asked me to talk a bit about my parent-teacher conference with Natalie’s teacher yesterday.

I am always a bit apprehensive about these meetings, not due to any grade problems, Natalie always does well in school, but due to behavior. Natalie brings an exuberance and joy to almost any situation, but in doing this she can be loud, outspoken, and, quite frankly, rather annoying at times. Her love of talking has gotten her into a bit of trouble in the past. This wonderful love of school and learning can be a great thing but it can also be a major distraction to other students. Ms. C. is a wonderful teacher for Natalie because she recognizes Natalie’s energy and is able to redirect it when she needs to.

The most wonderful thing to hear from her teacher was the comment about how “kind” Natalie is. It was fantastic to hear about how she is helpful and kind to her classmates. Apparently, she has even gone so far as to try to explain some of her classmate’s behavior to her teacher in an attempt to get them out of trouble or keep them from getting into trouble. I am told that she sometimes goes out of her way to help some of her fellow classmates learn some of the more difficult lessons. We always try to bring up our children to be kind and respectful toward others, so it is great to hear about Natalie’s kindness. Though, I do suspect that this kindness has made her teacher a bit more forgiving about some of Natalie’s outbursts.

I was also interested in hearing about Natalie’s progress in math. Although she has always done well in math, we never really considered it her strongest subject and, at least for a while, it was certainly NOT one of her favorite subjects. Natalie’s openness helps her in school because she readily tells her teacher when she doesn’t understand something. According to Ms. C Natalie seems to figure out things a bit differently then the class plans present problems. Ms. C has encouraged Natalie to think through problems and show how she figures things out. When it all comes together for her she fully understands how it works. Lately, math has been her strongest, and now, her favorite, subject.

I believe the key to elementary school is to look at several questions. Is my child excited about school? Is s/he learning new things every day? Is s/he having fun and getting along with other students? With Natalie, the answer to all of these questions is a resounding “yes” and we couldn’t be more thrilled.

-Patrick