to loop or not to loop (8/2019)

When Dalia's 3rd grade teacher asked for some get-to-know you information, I found myself writing a novel. Second grade had been difficult and ended with a difficult decision about whether or not to loop into 3rd grade with her 2nd grade teacher. Drawn to exuberant expression and prone to pseudo-maturity as the youngest, she had found herself getting easily overwhelmed. So much so that I pulled her out of extracurricular activities because she began dreading them. Unable or unwilling to talk through her feelings, distraction was often times the only tool left in our toolbox. We also found notes she'd written about how she was stupid and that no one liked her. Here's the novel written to her teacher at the start of the year:

"Dalia is a joy. She is my most gregarious child- unafraid of performing for others and unashamed of speaking her mind. Dalia loves to dance and sing! In Kindergarten, she hummed while doing her schoolwork and at home, she wanders around singing vibrato constantly. Dalia has performed a tap solo to an auditorium full of people and has sung a solo in front of our church congregation. She swam for the recreational swim league all summer and loved it. On Saturdays, we go boating as a family and it's our very favorite place to be. At home, she likes to ride her bike, do art/ craft projects, and bake. Dalia's favorite subject at school is art and she says her least favorite is social studies. I believe that Dalia is good at Math and Spelling and she tends to be a visual learner. Recently, I have begun having Dalia read to me every day after school to improve her oral reading accuracy. I was noticing a lot of skipped words or lines when we read as a family every morning from the scriptures. I'm trying to decipher if it's from fatigue or because she's fidgeting and has poor reading posture. I would greatly appreciate your help with this as it is a new issue.

If asked, Dalia will say that she doesn't enjoy school. I don't believe this to be true but know that she struggles with nerves. Over the past year, I've recently discovered that time limitations and multi-step directions/ commands are her triggers. She is often wiped out after a school week and I have cut back on her after-school activities in an effort to help prevent fatigue. I often have to encourage her to take a mental break after school before diving into her homework and this can cause a melt-down because she insists that she needs to get it done. As you can imagine, I'm grateful to hear that you have brain breaks and use music in the classroom. 

Last year, Dalia would get headaches frequently. We took her into the eye dr who felt that she is a borderline case for getting glasses and will outgrow it.  However, should you notice headaches, please report them to me as we are still monitoring. In addition, I have Ibuprofen in the office for her and would like for her to have access to that whenever she requests it. However, be aware that she will ask for a bandaid with every tiny scrape too and these requests can be ignored. :)

Lastly, I feel I should mention that we chose not to have Dalia loop with Mrs Vandenburg because I wanted her to have new experiences (both socially and academically). I was very pleased with Mrs Vandenburg but felt strongly that she would thrive with a change."

She seems to have overcome a decent amount of angst and had a great report from her teacher at conferences.
"Dalia is someone I can count on for everything."
"I leave her name with substitute teachers because I know she can help."
"She shows motivation and interest in learning."
"She has good critical thinking skills."
"I used her research article as an example."
"Yes, she is elaborate and I love her."

On a related note, I am so thankful for children who always earn positive teacher reports.  Kindin's teachers usually resort to joking with fake claims of: rude, disrespectful, and disruptive. I also heard, "She is a good advocate - often checking in for accuracy and intent." and "She asks good questions." She earned Distinguished Honors (all As) this year and always wants to go the extra mile with her assignments.

Jack's teachers are impressed by how polite he is and I was shocked to see him use full sentences, clarifying questions, and salutations such as "have a good day." He has exceeded our expectations with a humble, teachable, and responsible transition to middle school.