Thursday, February 01, 2007

The Boy's First Report Card

I used to think that giving report cards to toddlers was a little bit silly, but I have since been grudgingly won over to the idea. It only makes sense that the teachers who spend five days a week with the Boy have an opinion with regards to his development. I still jealously guard the idea that I know him better than anyone else, though, and I defy people to convince me otherwise.

However, we all know that kids behave differently at school than they do at home --Stephanie from Degrassi, does this ring a bell to anyone? So, let's see what they have to say (and because I can't just say nothing, I'll add my comments too):

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
The Boy is able to communicate with short sentences by using one to two words to get his point across. He enjoys circle time and expresses himself with body language or sing-a-longs. (He is actually using up to six words in a sentence, but averages about three or four. I'm not surprised that he uses one to two words normally. He's learnt how to get what he wants with the minimal effort. He got that from us. Smart Boy!)

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
The Boy is very interested when viewing pictures or books and focuses during story time. The Boy likes to respond to questions that are asked by his teachers. He can remember all the names of the other children. He can also recognize all animals and identify what sound each one makes. (I've said before that the Boy is freakishly good at remembering people's names. He met a girl in the park once, and spent the rest of the week screaming "Lila" at the top of his lungs whenever I said we were going to the park. He can also remember the names of each of his grandparents' pets - five names all counted. Freakish!)

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT (Fine/Gross)
The Boy uses a lot of fine motor skills. He loves to play with playdough, cars and building blocks. Outside he is able to climb alone on the toys with some assistance of the teachers. In the playground he rides the tricycle and kicks or catches ball. (Hmm. Now this is helpful. I agree that the Boy is especially good in the area of fine motor skills. I thought that his gross motor skills weren't as advanced. Maybe we just don't do enough of these activities at home? Something to ponder...)

FOOD CONSUMPTION/SLEEPING BEHAVIOURS
The Boy tries new foods during lunch and snack time and eats very well. At nap time he will fall asleep with no assistance. He will sleep for approximately one and a half hours per day. (Who? What?? Tries new foods??? Clearly, this is a comment meant for someone else's kid. Either that, or he is really susceptible to peer pressure.)

SOCIAL INTERACTION (Peers/adults)
The Boy is a very friendly child and interacts with his peers and teachers. He understands the teachers and follows the routine of the classroom. He is also very comfortable with Rob Joy, the music teacher, and engages himself during his music class with sing-a-longs. (Yes, yes, yes! This is the Boy that I know. He loves the days that Rob comes in, and can't stop talking about him. I love when he tries to sing the songs to himself on the way home. I have no idea what he is saying, and he generally sticks to one note, but he always makes me smile.)

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOURS TO MONITOR (if appl.)
N/A. (Not sure which "inappropriate behaviours" we're talking about here. The Boy is practically perfect in every way, but like any two-year-old, he has interesting ideas of what is appropriate behaviour. Right now, he thinks the words "OW!" and "Stop, please!" are funny, and they are no deterrent whatsoever.)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The Boy is comfortable with the staff in the room and his friends as well as other parents. He is always involved in trying new activities in the room. Keep up the good work! (That's my Boy!)


Good job, kid, you're fantastic! We'd love you no matter what they said, naturally. We still know you best. Love, Mum XO

12 comments:

motherbumper said...

Ah Stephanie, that's a blast from the past.

I'm fascinated with this report card business. Bumper gets a report card for her swimming lessons and I'm constantly amazed how creative an instructor can be considering B has not achieved any of the set "goals". But damn , she does have fun in the pool.

Bumper always eats better in front of others, I find it vexing.

The Boy sounds like a wonderful boy, the kind of kid I wish he was in B's classes.

Kyla said...

WTG!!! Sounds like a straight A toddler to me! :)

Mayberry said...

Excellent -- it's so fun seeing another person's perspective, isn't it? My mom still has my report cards from Montessori preschool!

Anonymous said...

Wow. That's awesome! You must be one proud mama! :)

Her Bad Mother said...

This is going to sound twisted, but I loooooove report cards, the old-school, elementary school kind. Plays well with others! Yay! Life is never again so simple!

Beck said...

I love getting my kids report cards - something about seeing them through someone else's eyes.

mamatulip said...

Out of the way with Stephanie Kaye!

I. LOVE. DEGRASSI. Old and new.

Congrats to The Boy for a pretty rockin' report card...and good on you too, Mum!

ewe are here said...

Ooh. I hope mine get such great reports some day.

Anonymous said...

Oh!! My son got his first report card from preschool a few months back. It was so cute, although not quite as detailed as your son's.

His teachers still think he puts together 2 or occasionally 3 words easily, but at home he's a chatterbox. It's really interesting to see how they are different at home and school! Enjoy your son!!

kittenpie said...

Wow - report cards for daycare? Hmmm. I've never heard of that! Interesting, to be sure - and look how proud you are now!

Mimi said...

Doesn't everyone change personas in the bathroom at work in the morning? No? That's just me? ;-)

Congratulations to the boy or wowing everyone!

Mad said...

This slays me. What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall when my sitter is with my daughter. I suspect that the blue eye shadow and skanky clothes come out full throttle.

BTW, the boy clearly is a winner.