Soooo…. Leilani ended up not in Preschool, but in Kindergarten. I’m still not sure that was the best choice, but as teachers – and Leilani – assured me she’d be bored in pre-K I went with the flow to try it out.
Strangely and sadly as it stands now (5/17) I will push very hard for her to get into first grade next year. I suppose it will be pretty easy, as Kindergarten for next year is full and 1st grade is not… I think it will be much better if she gets a fresh start with the 1st grade teacher. Intellectually and academically Leilani fits right in, but emotionally she’s just, or almost on track for her age (or as her teacher points out, far behind the class ), and since she has not had a chance to learn the routine expected in a Kindergarten makes quite a few mistakes, but… Her teacher is 8 months pregnant and I think Leilani really disrupted her routine too late in the school year.
In the beginning I went there pretty often to talk to her and see what and how Leilani is doing and tried to help a bit, but by now I’m just getting so embarrassed and defensive and all the discussions are all in front of Leilani that I avoid talking with her about Leilani’s classroom behavior, or matter of fact anything about Leilani’s performance. Leilani tries so hard to be nice to her and I’m really hurting for her feeling rejected and ignored… but I keep telling her how hard life must be taking care of a 6 year old and being 8 months pregnant and working full time… At least the other teachers seem to have a lot more positive view of Leilani, and her full time replacement has started this week to transition to take over while she is on maternity leave.
I once witnessed a reading test. I knew Leilani read all the words on that page, and 1/2 hour later she read them for me perfectly, but when her teacher tested her she was so nervous she could not read words like “the”. Fortunately the teacher’s aide signed off most of her reading tests (pages with series of words all starting with the same letter or groups of letters), …
Leilani peed herself twice in the last 2 weeks. I realize Leilani often waits until the last minute, but if it’s impossible to get the teacher’s attention and not allowed to leave the circle without permission that’s a bad dilemma too…
And how I know next year’s Kindergarten is full? In the first or second week, the 2nd or 3rd time the teacher complained about Leilani I asked for her to be put back into preschool, and to go to Kindergarten next year instead. She informed me right then and there… but then added again, that Leilani would be bored in preschool…
For the good news – Leilani reads really well in German and English (in books, not in word lists though), is much better with numbers and beginning math. She has made lots of friends in her class, and seems to be enjoying school and genuinely happy to be a “big kid” and 100% sure, beyond any doubt that she’ll be in first grade next year.
Leilani was bored to death and unhappy at home. She didn’t have her stuff, and the parents were running around, trying to work, direct the remodeling, and clean the filthy apartment. Tutu and Me was full. I tried a very anti-authoritarian playgroup, and was pretty surprised Leilani was the only kid joining the opening circle. I watched a bit more and couldn’t get over how the teacher tried in vein to get the nature-pod-kids to stop stripping leaves of very young tree, and how Leilani started to join the fun by ripping up plants (I made her feel guilty enough at home that she tried to re-plant some of them).
We really lucked out and through intervention of a new acquaintance she got tested for Island School the next day, and started the following Monday. Not in Preschool, but in Kindergarten. I’m still not sure that was the best choice, but as teachers – and Leilani – assured me she’d be bored in pre-K I went with the flow to try it out.
Leilani reads really well in German and English, is much better with numbers and beginning math. She has made lots of friends in her class, and seems to be enjoying school and genuinely happy to be a “big kid” and 100% sure, beyond any doubt that she’ll be in first grade next year.
We went to the Wailua Houselots park:
Leilani enjoys the first dragon eyes
More body boarding at Lydgate
We went to Tunnels with our friends on April 3rd
Andy’s Zen Office:
We lived in the downstairs apartment for almost 2 weeks. Time flew (and still does). We took very few photos these days. And of the ones we took… I think most are still on the laptop. It took me all morning today to try to sort them and I forgot at least 2 events. A few for now, and I hope I’ll remember to update this post. I actually did remember, but I’m updating it in July…
First photo on Kauai:
First Sunrise:
Leilani photographed a bromeliad in our totally overgrown yard
We bought a covered cat litter box but the cats refused it. Not so Leilani who used it as a turtleshell…
just because I’m updating it now 3 months later: The cats got used to it and use it if it rains.
First swim at Lydgate:
