MALI'S SCHOOL WORK

A lot of people have asked me what kinds of things Mali is doing in school, so I thought I would post some of her "work." I also wanted to keep track of it to look back on later. For this project, she says she listened to a story and drew a picture of it, then wrote a sentence (phonemically) about the picture.





I am pleased that her teachers are very affirming and haven't been critical at all. They are patient and work with the various levels of need. For example, I'm sure there are several kids in her class who can already write sentences. In contrast, she is still learning some sounds of letters and working it out. But she likes doing it, and that's what is most important. The teacher told us at curriculum night that she was basically having to teach 1st grade, and she didn't seem all that pleased about the standards. But, she does her job well, and the kids don't seem to suffer from it.

At first, I was a little disturbed that Mali came home with "homework." However, Mali wasn't disturbed by it, and seemed to enjoy sitting down with me and explaining what she needed to do. It gave me a glimpse into her school life, too. I also came to realize that "homework" is the work they have in the morning that doesn't get done. The idea is to teach the kids about finishing a project on their own, and paying attention to how long it takes them. Well, Mali is very slow at getting most things done. Even tonight, I wondered if I should time her (just out of curiosity) going to the bathroom and washing her hands without Mark and I asking her to keep going every couple of minutes. I have a feeling it would be a loooooong trip to the bathroom! She notices absolutely everything around her, and stops to pay attention to whatever it is, even if it's a song running through her own head. She has always been this keenly aware, even as a baby. So, learning about keeping a pace is something that has been really good for her. She hasn't had any "homework" for a long time now, which I guess shows that she has learned enough about herself to set a pace in the classroom.

Anyway, we are happy to see Mali growing through her school experience. She is becoming more independent and aware of others, she is more interested in making friends and how to do that, and she is still very happy at the end of the day. These are some of the things I was hoping for.