Oops, I Did It Again
Pumpkin Spice Latte.
I'm currently orbiting Saturn. Whee!
All this jittering made it difficult to have a serious discussion with my daughter's teacher this morning.
My kid keeps getting benched. And she is a child who needs her some recess to work out the wiggles.
Basically, right before lunch, the kids are sent to the bathroom to wash their hands. My kid is always the last one back, by several minutes. Same thing with recess. The bell rings, the kids freeze (so weird!) and then they blow the whistle and the kids return to class. All except MY kid, who is off being a horse somewhere, and either doesn't hear the bell, or chooses not to respond to it. When they line up, if she sees a friend or my son, she has to stop and make faces or chat.
I stood there with the teacher, trying to keep my eyes on her face, right leg jumping around of its own accord. I nodded and said "we'll work with her on that" while surpressing the urge to run in circles around the frowning teacher.
I'm such a pillar of fine parenting.
I can't say I'm surprised by my daughter's lack of attention to the class schedule. When I talked to her about being 'benched' during recess, she said "It was kind of nice, because I could just do my own stuff for a while." She said that at recess, sometimes she (and I'm paraphrasing here) is so deep in character that she forgets that she is at school.
I was one of those kids, too. Crap. Punishments never really worked, because I was (and still am) incorrigible. Water off a duck's back. Shame? Didn't work. Spanking? Didn't work. Taking away things? Didn't work. Restrictions? No.
So, what do we do with her? I know we need to approach this from a positive, praise and reward angle. She likes to please us, and to be praised in school... when we talked before class today, she said that she would try to be the first kid back in class every time. If we can make it a game, maybe she'll go for it.
Or maybe she'll get busted for running.
Sigh.
Comments
I understand the teacher needing her to get back, but punishing her by revoking her recess I don't get. Kids *do* need to run off their energy. I don't have the answer, but it's something I think about often.
Posted by: Stephanie C. | September 16, 2005 10:19 AM
I too adore the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I am SO glad they've got it all year round instead of only during the holiday season. YAHOO!
Posted by: Grace | September 16, 2005 10:29 AM
Albert Einstein said that Imagination is more imporant than knowledge.
What is it called? Assvice? Here's Auntie Steph's: :-)
I'd turn it into a game. At school---in order to "win" at the game, you need to follow the rules. Even if they are lame and stupid...
we know how smart and creative you are but sometimes you just have to play the game.
Posted by: steph | September 16, 2005 10:43 AM
Okay, I think it's time for an intervention.
Jen, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Put down the latte and back away slowly.
Posted by: EverydaySuperGoddess | September 16, 2005 11:38 AM
I'm sorry. I just keep laughing at the image of you all jittery and hyped up on Starbucks trying to talk to the teacher about your daughter's attention issues.
And I agree with you & Steph. Make it a game. She's a smart girl. That's what is most likely to work.
Posted by: buffi | September 16, 2005 12:57 PM
I like the turning it into a game idea. Then maybe she will be attentive to the bell. It sounds like she's got great creativity to be able to "lose" herself at recess.
Posted by: Kari | September 16, 2005 1:12 PM
Maybe you could make her one of those trendy "sticker charts" at home. Every time she gets to class on time, or maybe every day that she isn't benched, she gets a sticker. After a certain number of stickers she gets a new book or a special outing with just the two of you (or her dad). Something like that.
Posted by: Jen | September 16, 2005 1:17 PM
Really, does it matter in the long run if she's a few minutes late? Not at all. She's not really doing anything wrong...
Posted by: AMG | September 16, 2005 3:10 PM
I can't talk to anyone about coffee. I like mine. I like it alot. Your girl sounds sweet and spirited and she is blessed with a mom who likes that in her. Positive reinforcement to encourage behavior that makes her life easier (i.e. she can go out for recess) woudl be ideal.
I LOVED the part about her being "in character". She sounds like a barrel of monkeys that one. Lots of fun.
Posted by: Meghan | September 17, 2005 7:51 PM
A bit off topic...I had my very first pumpkin spice latte yesterday. (Starbucks is new here). Well! I see why you were so happy! That stuff is freakin' wonderful!! I need more. Must have more. Gotta go find more...
Posted by: Tammy/averagemom | September 18, 2005 2:14 PM
That pumpkin spice Latte sounds so freakin good. I will definitely have to try that.
Also, that sounds like my little boy. And me. So real school should be interesting. Please let me know what ends up working. :-) And Good luck.
Posted by: Lisa B | September 18, 2005 7:52 PM
Any one of those coffees from Starbucks makes me freak out too!
Posted by: Bayou_Boy504 | September 19, 2005 5:52 AM
PLEASE let me know what you work out - I was the same way and my 3 yr old girls is going to be just like your daughter. Even now at 3 she can be so engrossed in her imagination that she misses what's going on around her. Maybe reward her at home for each day that she pays attention and after so many she gets a prize?
as for the pumpkin spice latte - it's good, but i am already countin down the days until gingerbread latter. yummmmm
Posted by: amy | September 19, 2005 8:05 AM
Pumpkin Spice Latte? From where do we get this? I want one, or two even! Wheeee! Maybe three!! Sounds soo yummy!!
Your DD sounds a lot like my 3 year old DS. And my 7 yr old neice. Basically, she sounds normal. Teachers need all the kids to act the same because it's all about control. Not in a 1984 type of way, but more along the lines of "Holy crap I've got 23 kids I have to keep track of!" I wish I knew the answer, but the game thing sounds good. The sticker chart sounds good, too, but I'm too lazy to do that. ;-)
Posted by: Shanonn | September 20, 2005 6:55 AM
Maybe she's been taking sips of your beloved pumpkin spice latte :o)
On a serious note, taking away recess is the wrong thing - particularly for active kids (I know "active kid" is redundant). It's counter-productive. It's a whacked philosphy. Seriously, I don't get it. And one would think, that folks who work with children would be the first recognize the gaping hole in this philosphy.
Anyone need a soap box??
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