Thinking alot..

[Googsmom aka Jennifer]

Yes friends, I have been thinking alot. I figured I had to come ask the experts ;D So, Brook is in Kindy, no classroom aide just an aide for lunch/recess. (Great lady and even slides down the side and swings ;D Super nice and will always take the time to talk to me and is now learning to not take any guff off of Brook!) I have given it a few months now and i'm at a bump in the road. So Brook has decided she wants to give her lunchroom helper a hard time when lunch is over. ! Does not want to leave lunch. I can't blame her I pack a mean lunch HA! J/K So at first I thought ok, no recess then, but recess is before lunch. So now i'm thinking, fine then, have everyone else leave and go back to class so she will be all by herself in the lunchroom, just her and helper. What do you think? She is doing well in all other areas but this, as far as behavior goes, so thats good. I'm also thinking Brook might need a aide in the class. I have been volunteering for an hour in the morning and 2 hrs in the afternoon M,W,F. I watch all the kids, not just Brook. In fact I try to not be around Brook so I can see what she is doing. She can do said task but maybe if there was just someone there to keep her focused adn maybe help a little, she would do it just that much better and be more at peer level..... ramblings of a tired Momma. BTW, brook won Eagle of the Month at school today. Happy ;D

[Chris too]

I'm so impressed with Brook going to school for a full day at kindy at only 5 and doing so well - Eagle of the Month! WTG, Brook!
It's long day for such a little girl - I have always been of the opinion that kindergarten should be half days because they're little kids who need to have plenty of unstructured play at home. I put Stevie in only half days because I knew that however well she started out, she'd get tired of all day at school and start to act up and be unhappy and unproductive. But if you think that Brook can manage, I'd trust your judgment on it. You know best what that little dynamo is capable of, and she is always surprising me.
I think an afternoon aid would be a good idea - 1:1 even for that tough last bit. You might want to add a trip to the resource room for right after lunch so that she has something fun to look forward to before getting back to work in the classroom.

I know you'll come up with something that will work - you're a smart and capable woman

[mg12061]

WOW I'm very impressed. Sounds like she's adjusting well to Kindy! As for the lunch issue. I'm a firm believer in the fact that if our kids are "acting out" in any new way (especially if thier behavior is normaly good) there's absolutely a reason that needs to be addressed. In a positive way, we want our kids to let us know when things aren't working or their needs aren't being met and sometimes this means they jsut have to stand their ground and refuse to do something. I've seen this in Kathleen and we try to talk with her and figure it out. But lots of times it means me going in and observing. Have you and can you discuss this with Brook? "Why don't you want to leave lunch" give her some choices... "are you tired", "do you need a couple more minutes" , " what will help you be ready to leave". Does she just need a couple of warnings or maybe a timer to have some concept of when lunch will be over... is she more tired after lunch and knows that when she gets back to the classroom everything may be a little more difficult. this is where maybe even a shared aid can help her out. Have you observed this transition? Myabe the lunch aid needs to have her start packing up and getting ready a little sooner and be completely ready when it's time to leave. Can they have something fun for her when she gets back to the classroom like picking a sticker and putting it in a notebook (maybe your communication book). I know Kathleen would be really tired after lunch for a while and then get a second wind and be fine. I tried to not send too much lunch also, becuase she would want ot stay and finish everything I thought that giving her choices in her lunch would be good but she just wanted to eat everything. Now I send just a couple things, her main lunch and then a small snack like fruit or veggies she's done in about 20 minutes now. How long do they get for lunch? Has she had enough time? Good luck and keep us posted. She probably has a reason it's just finding out why...
Mary Grace

[Jackie]

Sounds like she IS doing great!!!! But have to agree that it is a long day for her. When Em went to kindergarten it was just half days. But since she had just turned 6... by law in Texas she was entilted to a full day of school (or so I convinced the powers that be) so...she went mornings to Kindy and then stayed and ate lunch with the first graders and then spent the afternoons in a resource room where they either reinforced what she had been taught that AM or pre taught her for the next day. Worked very well. Maybe if you did do sort of what Chris said she might like it better. My guess is that in the afternoon she wont be missing that much and maybe a change of scenery would help her want to go back. Just a thought...and congrats to her for her award!!!!!!