observing

She's doing great. I have no concerns about her at all. So said Abby's teacher to us today when Mike and I attended parent observation day. While I wasn't necessarily surprised to get such a glowing report that didn't make it any less of a proud Mommy moment. Abby truly loves school and is eager to learn. In the areas of strength section from her report card her teacher wrote that her positive attitude towards learning is a pleasure.

Mike and I spent two hours in Abby's class this morning it was really great to see how she spends her day at school and, wow, what a difference a year makes. This year Abby was way more focused on her work and not at all distracted by her Dad and I being there. Not that she didn't throw a smile or a quick wave to us every now and then. I loved the opportunity to see her "independent life". To see how she manages herself, how she fits into the social dynamic in her class. Abby's a pretty agreeable girl, easy going and easy to get along with. She's not especially aggressive and certainly not in a mean spirited way. During "carpet time" all the kids have assigned spots. Mike and I noticed this morning that Abby sits between two of the most disruptive kids in the class. Mike brought this up during our chat with Abby's teacher and she asked if we had noticed that Abby wasn't bothered at all by their disruptive behaviour. At one point one of the kids was nearly sitting on top of Abby and she still kept her attention focused on her teacher until the other child was directed back to her spot. Miss Abby'sTeacher told us that's why she has Abby sitting there, because she has no problem tuning them out. She also has the three of them sitting within reaching distance so she can quickly manage any disruptive behaviour (and there is a lot, that woman needs a medal). I know it's easy for kids, especially younger ones, to fall into that "mob mentality", to act up because your neighbour is. Like the two boys who were trying to make fart noises with their armpits this morning. I was impressed that Abby didn't allow herself to be sucked into their behaviour.

There was also a huge improvement in her learning skills over last year. In most of the categories (eg demonstrates self reliance, attempts new tasks willingly, follows directions and works independently) Abby scored "performs skill most of the time" in all but 3 categories. This year she scored all "consistently demonstrates skill" with the lone exception of listens attentively, which was a most of the time skill. The only real suggestion we got was to help become more confident about sharing her own ideas with her peers. Which made me chuckle a bit because if you ask anybody who knows her at home they'll all tell you she isn't shy about letting her opinion or thoughts out about anything.