Since the girls are in kindergarten, they’ve just gotten their first report cards.  I am fairly pleased with their progress, but was left with some questions.  Not questions about their teacher, but about them.

They’re given a knowledge test to see which letters, numbers, and words they know and recognize.  Mallory did a little better than Savannah, but I think it’s because at this point in time Mallory is more interested in school as an academic experience while Vannah seems to be treating it as more of a social experience .

I was a bit disappointed in Vannah to be frankly honest.  There were words on which she was tested that I KNOW she knows.  There were numbers on there that I know she can recognize.  It’s just a bit frustrating to see that she’s not performing to her full potential and I don’t quite understand why.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that kindergarten is the end all of their academic careers, but on the same token I don’t want Vannah’s slackness, when it comes to academics, to become a habit.

So in addition to working on sight words every night, I’ve now started having them read an extra book every morning.  In addition, I took that progress report that was included with her report card and made flash cards out of the numbers, letters, and words that she had difficulty recognizing.  I don’t think it’s lack of ability with Vannah, I think it’s lack of interest and motivation.  So with both girls, I’m trying to encourage some positive motivation and competition here.  If we learn two sight words a week, we get to pick out a treat.  This way, they have something to work towards and look forward to.  Whomever does their homework right the first time gets a special treat for the night (i.e. 15 minutes of game playing or being excused from a chore.)

How do you encourage your kids to perform at their best when it comes to academics? Please, share your tips and tricks below.  This is yet another uncharted territory for me and I’d love to hear what you have to say!

Last Friday my boys came home with their reports cards. No more preschool conferences to go over ABCs and 123s. We have hit the big time with actual report cards. While they are still not on the usual A-F scale, their marks do tell me a lot about their academic progress and, more importantly, their social progress.

I hear that they are on track with their math and reading, they are kind to their friends, my oldest speaks out without raising his hand and my little guy Sam has not had any “moments” for over a month now (he is  my moody child). What?! What did those last two say? That is right, my darling boys who really are good kids have their own school issues, too.

Even Jake’s teacher attributes his speaking out of turn to excitement and curiosity and Sam’s “moments” being less frequent are a good thing. Knowing that these are minor blips on their school radar does give me comfort, but it reminds me that all kids and parents need to take these report cards seriously….even as young as kindergarten. It is now when small things can be caught so they don’t turn into larger issues. This is the time to talk to Jake about raising his hand more and congratulating Sam for his good behavior.

As a teacher I saw kids in middle school who did not get this attention and support. No one ever talked to them when they were younger about making positive changes. No one ever told them they were proud when they did, so they stopped trying. Now that I have my own kids I want to make sure we talk each time a report card comes home so they know their dad and I are paying attention and that we will do what we need to in order to ensure school is a positive experience for them

Has anyone ever had a surprise on a report card? How did you handle it? Do you feel the reports paint a true picture of your son or daughter?