Some answers…

…or at least enough to keep me mollified for now. Some people had joked, upon hearing about it, that perhaps Sam’s teacher just really enjoys his company and wanted to have some extra time with him. After talking with her, I could almost guess that that’s not inaccurate! He wasn’t in there for jumping down the stairs, but for some cafeteria silliness; I’ll edify him about that when he gets home. When I asked how long he’d have to eat his lunch in there (it started just a few days before Christmas break; still really not sure why I didn’t get a note or a call or anything about a situation that warranted so lengthy a punishment), she seemed surprised and said, “Well, he doesn’t seem bothered by it…” (Later in the conversation, as we were discussing other things, she mentioned how he talks a lot about social justice, homelessness, world hunger, and other such issues over lunch with her, and she enjoys hearing him talk. Hmmmm.)

We also dealt with some other issues that had been bothering me, and the explanations from her reassured me somewhat. It feels like I’m playing “Telephone” sometimes, and even when what Sam tells me is a hundred percent accurate, sometimes his own misunderstanding of situations leads him to couch the story in ways that confuse me. But I feel a little better now, for now.

The kids began bringing home Assignment Notebooks this week, with their homework assignments scrawled inside. I had to verify with her that the notebooks were to come home every night, and that if he hadn’t brought it home, it wasn’t that there was no homework, but that he’d neglected to put it in his backpack. (He hasn’t brought it home for two days, and that was two days of homework he missed.) She said that now that they had those notebooks, she’d find it easier to keep me updated about how Sam’s doing in class, with behavior, etc. Dunno why email or scratched notes would have been inconvenient before now, but whatever. I suggested that, if it would be feasible or of use to her, I’d be more than happy to set up and maintain a homework webpage for the class, and she seemed interested. I guess we’ll see if that pans out.

I also filled her in on the upshot of a previous disciplinary issue we had. Sam had been very harshly reprimanded for “cursing,” which is completely out of character for him. He was crying when she was telling me, too, but determinedly staying mute. When I asked him about it later, he told me that a friend had said they knew a particular bad word, and Sam, shocked, tried to clarify by spelling it. Other kids heard and tattled on Sam, but Sam never explained what was happening or tried to defend himself because he hadn’t wanted to get his friend in trouble, too. For himself, he said, “I didn’t think it counted if you spelled it!” He was more mortified about having accidentally actually cursed than having been in trouble. When I told his teacher this, she was dumbfounded. She agreed that it did change things, but she’s also now concerned that he would “take the fall” for another kid and not speak up. It is worrisome – probably more so than for him to have a foul mouth at seven years old.

I miss kindergarten and the drama surrounding whether or not to color inside the lines.