Allow Him To Introduce Himself

I have a new post up at REDBOOK that I could have sworn was about our trip to Seattle to visit my brother. Having just reread it, however, I can tell you it appears to be about nothing whatsoever. Still, it's there so... um, enjoy.

Meet the Teachers night last week was actually a three-ring circus that involved every kid in the school bringing their school supplies and milling around for 20 minutes. Although we technically met the teacher long enough to clarify the Steven/Patrick issue and determine that Patrick's kindergarten teacher is 12 years old but very likable; we did not REALLY meet her until today. Today, Patrick and I went in for our one-on-one (two-on-one?) pre-kindergarten chat.

Remember my asking about this chat? About whether I should use it to mention that Patrick is doing X or not? And some of you said yes and some of you said dear god no and I sort of decided to wing it?

I can be such a freak sometimes, really I can. Talk about non-issues. You can go ahead and remind me of this the next time I get all prematurely wound up about something. It won't help, of course, but at least you can then say you told me so. Suffice it to say, Patrick handled the meeting himself quite competently without any interference from me whatsoever. Why do I always think of him as being this shy and retiring creature, like a timid bedbug or something? Patrick today was as verbose and self-assured as they come. He all but held up a palm to me and said, "Allow me to field this one, Mother."

After covering the essentials like whether he will be riding a school bus (no) and whether or not he can bring nuts in any form for lunch or snack (no, damn it), his teacher asked if there was anything she should know about Patrick. Any strengths or weaknesses or anything? This was my opportunity to hop onto the table and shout "HE'S BRILLIANT AND EVER SO HANDSOME!" before doing a little Snoopy dance of exultation but I hesitated. He was sitting right there after all, so I deferred to him and asked if he wanted to tell his teacher about some of the things he enjoys doing.

"Well, I like reading poetry," he started and then they launched into a discussion on the works of the great Shel Silverstein.

"So... no problems with the alphabet, letters, reading...?" she asked me.

"He's a strong reader," I said and she made a note.

Then he told her about some other stuff he likes, mentioning the various solar systems and an enormous star named 51Peg that has planets orbiting it at an incredibly fast rate - four Earth days per rotation!

"Interested in the sciences?" she asked.

"Quite," I confirmed.

Next he told her how excited he was to start school and she said that she was sure he was going to make a ton of new friends since he was clearly so social and talkative (you can borrow my feather when you are done knocking me over with it.) He asked how many kids there were in the class and she said, "21 and about half of them are boys."

He thought for a second before saying, "So... 10? 11? Wait, I can figure this out."

He then proceeded to draw a line on the table with his finger that he sliced through with his hand.

"10? No... ten and a half. The class has ten and a half boys and ten and a half girls. That's ridiculous. Ha ha ha ha ha."

She asked him if he saw that in his head. He said no, he worked it out on his own. She said, "I mean, is it like you can see 21 of something split in half?" He said no, it was just... it is just right.

"Solid math skills then," she said to me. I nodded.

Finally he swung briefly into geography, telling her that we had just gotten back from Seattle Washington which is bordered by Canada to the north and is like Maine but on the other side of the country. He was still talking as I drug (excuse me, as I done dragged) him away.         

She laughed a lot while they talked and I think (I hope) she thought he was a nice kid. Chatty, rarely stopping for air, but nice. As I read this over I can tell it sounds like he was being aggressively self-important but he was actually (I swear! totally unbiased!) very sweet about it. It was obvious that he was trying to impress her but, hey, why not? He had brought his A game [damn it! that reminds me I need to do my football picks. I joined a pool - anyone else think the Texans are up for it this week?] and she was kind enough to be respectful of that. I am pleased.

So school starts tomorrow and I have good feeling about it all so far. It is a HUGE and BUSY place (multiple schools within the school - I'll tell you about it later) but I think Patrick will enjoy the bustle. I just hope he doesn't talk 'em all to death in the process.

Comments

[Cris]

The Texans? Are you crazy?

I guess they do have to win, one of these years.

Glad to hear the meeting went well!

[Cherith]

Awwww!!! I LOVE IT!! Way to go Patrick! What better way to make sure the teacher knows what she needs to know than to let Patrick himself demonstrate for her? That is fabulous and he sounds as though he was absolutely charming. I hope he LOVES it!

[Rowan]

*Ok* with Reading?
*Interested* in the Sciences?
*Solid* Math skills?

ummm, Understatements much? lol
Yay Patrick!

[Jessica]

He sounds like a delightful kid, and she sounds like a pretty good match!
Yay!

[Rachel]

You should totally not be as embarrassed as you get by how smart Patrick is and how well he relates to adults; it's a blessing and a curse, but nothing to be embarrassed about. When I was his age a woman heard me spreaking and commented to my mother (she was of course not talking to me) that I was talking really well for my age; my response was "Thank you. I have a very extensive vocabulary." She was floored, my mom cracked up. Embrace it fully or he's going to pick up on your reservations about his intelligence.

[electric boogaloo]

Very cool! I actually like the understatement approach, and the fact that she mainly had a conversation with him about his interests. She sounds promising. :-)

[Erica]

Hooray for Patrick! Taking the bull by the horns. Maybe he can be your labor coach too, now?

But seriously, after my child's tragic preschool interview which involved the possession of said child by a jewel-greedy undead troll, I am openly envious of Patrick's having managed this meeting so deftly.

[Lucky]

You were just here! In Seattle! I had a fleeting fantasy of recognizing you at a playground and my kid hitting it off with Patrick and you and me chatting and becoming great friends. But, alas, you're gone now. Oh well.

We also start Kindergarten tomorrow. We got "the new teacher" at our school - but I really like her as does Z and I think it is going to be great. Z is sleeping soundly with her outfit all picked out (not a lot of choice - they wear uniforms at this public school) and her backpack packed. I'm alternately giddy and weepy.

Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you at chez Hippogriffs. Patrick sounds so PSYCHED - the enthusiasm is great. And his teacher does sound like a good match (and being only 12 she'll have plenty of energy!).

[Lucy]

I'm an adult and it took me like five minutes to figure out 21 divided by 2...Patrick is awesome.

[Sarah]

As a teacher, I can tell you that that evening she bored her significant other/roomates with tales of Patrick's interests.

I do this every year. Especially with this one kid a few years ago who was a genius, and obsessed with the supernatural and Greek and Roman mythology. He introduced himself with, "Miss D, do you believe that the spirits of the undead walk among us??" Amazing child. Endless amusing stories. (Amusing to me at least)

[Menita]

I went and looked up 51Peg and wow...that's a really cool thing...

[Coral]

I LOVE Patrick stories!!

I love that he was forthcoming and told her all she needs to know. Imagine if he didn't!!

I bet you are relieved that meeting is over!

[Veronica]

I think that once school starts, Patrick's teacher is going to wish that she had more kids like him!

Yay for Patrick and congratulations to you for raising such a wonderful kid.

[Ruth]

She sounds like a gem. My bet is that Patrick is going to have a fantastic year.

[terri c]

Hooray for Patrick! I hope he has one terrific year with the other 9 1/2 boys and the 10 1/2 girls.

[Tamsen]

Patrick is adorable, he didn't come across as self-important at all, and I think it's obvious the teacher and him will get along really well.

[ls]

She sounds great! Best wishes for the upcoming school year; my four year old started kindergarten yesterday (they go yuonger at Waldorf) and walked in, flipped her hand at me and said "bye." No hugs, no tears...no nothing.Bye, indeed!

[Reese]

Sounds like he was a charmer. Hope the first day goes off without a hitch!

[Catherine]

What a smarty that Patrick. He already has the teacher under his spell. I don't think little kids can be self-important. They're not boasting, they're just telling it like it is.

[Pam L]

I do the same, over think the future and then find out my worries were all for naught. It's good to let your child/student do the talking. It was hard for me to do this with my first , but now with the second, it does work much better. Funny that (we) were all worried the teacher wouldn't necessarily see Patrick's abilities right off , Hah! Silly us.

[Holly]

Well, I think it's clear who the boy and a half is!

[jojo]

get over yourself and your kid already!!!!!!

[e]

He handled it all brilliantly by the sounds of it. I don't think any child of 5 could really be deemed to be self-important. It's part of the essence of being 5 that you take yourself seriously, I think.

[Ollie]

It still amazes me that Patrick is merely kindergarten-age. Shouldn't he be applying to colleges instead?

[Jen]

Heh, giggling at the comment that you are "uncomfortable" with his intelligence. There's a clear difference between not wanting to rub people's noses in the marvelousness that is one's own child (and especially one with a couple of superpowers) and disowning their intelligence.

For one thing, it leads to much more modest children -- ones who are comfortable with themselves and what they can do AND able to relate happily with their peers as well.

[nimblesixpence]

Please don't get over yourself or your kid. I love reading about all of it.

[Pat]

Go Patrick! Go Patrick! Good job kiddo.

[silene]

Patrick rules, seriously. And the teacher sounds really on the ball - I think you're all going to have a great year. So glad those worries are now behind you!

[silene]

Patrick rules, seriously. And the teacher sounds really on the ball - I think you're all going to have a great year. So glad those worries are now behind you!

[nate]

I think she handled it perfectly. And I'll bet her jaw dropped as soon as you were out of the door--like you, she didn't want to embarrass him w/ comments about how smart/curious etc. he is.

Oh, and jojo? Bite me.

[DrSuz]

At kindergarten orientation last week (with all the other students and parents) my son chose to raise his hand and announce "I am a READ!" The teacher correctly interpreted that, and replied, "Oh, you are a reader?" and he nodded happily. I was so embarrassed- I felt like all the other parents likely thought that I treat my son like a self-promoting trained monkey. I wanted to shout, "Hey I didn't TEACH him to read" but realized that would only compound the problem.

I want to point out that the only place he heard the term "reader" was from the school at admissions testing day. The tester told him he was a good reader. Leave it to my son to remember it 9 months later and make it look like we are trying to raise a braggart. The last thing we intend to do is call attention to his talents- we pretend it is all very normal and natural.

I was relieved for the distraction when another child noted my son's name and said, "My uncle's neighbor is named John." I guess my son didn't invent the concept of the not quite appropriate comment.

I am also glad he didn't comment on his skill at adding up his own UNO scores. . .

[elsimom]

Oh, I've been waiting for this post. Teacher sounds great - seems very willing to engage with Patrick on his terms, which will be awesome, I think.
We had "meet the teacher chaos" last Thursday, and yesterday was "visiting day" which means that you fill out a bunch of forms and meet the teacher again, and then today is the first full morning. I think I worried us right into a smooth day yesterday, because it all went well, and I didn't cry - so yay!
Keep the tales coming!

[Monica C.]

OK, he divided 21 in half. As someone who is HORRIBLE in math, I am NOW TRULY IMPRESSED. Damn! :)

[Amy]

Awesome meeting with the teacher, Mom. You lived. :) And Patrick isn't just smart, he's clearly got a good heart and a lot to offer as a member of his class this year. I look forward to hearing all about it. He will make an awesome big brother to the 13s. Hug him tight, there's no getting over any of it, ever.

[bj]

What is Patrick reading these days (other than poetry)?

Your teacher sounds like a great fit for Patrick. Matter of fact, but cognizant of what's going on. I, in particular, am amused by the fact that he found it hilarious that there were 10.5 boys in the class. I think the teacher was asking the right question when he figured that out, too, trying to figure out how he does the computation.

[Molly]

Ah, what a great post! So glad it went well! And I would ditto Sarah above when she said that Patrick's new teacher probably relayed the story of meeting him to roommates...I'm not a teacher, but as an orthodontist, I work with lots of kids and every so often, a child will say the most amazing/profound/funny thing to me, and it's one of the best parts of my job! And, yes, my poor, sweet husband gets to hear all about the smart, polite, amazing patients that I have! So, I for one, can't wait for more school stories! Way to go, Patrick!

[jessica]

de-lurking to say:

I have KC picked in my pool, but Yahoo Odds has the Texans as the favorite. But then again, 73% of people in the CBS SportsLine pools have KC.

I think both teams are going to have a "regrouping" year, so if you really want to pick the Texans to win, its probably a good week to do it.

I also really like your writing, and would compliment it more, I'm just really excited for football.

[kris]

Holy crap, that kid's smarter than I am. >.<

[Amelie]

Patrick is brilliant! I'm so glad for you (well, both of you, but I guess he wasn't all that nervous) that he handled it so well. It does sound very sweet, and hey, you need practice to impress the girls ;)

[Molly]

Damn, you were in Seattle, in the shadow of my office in one of those renovated warehouses, and I didn't get to meet you and the delightful Patrick? Damn!

[Molly]

Damn, you were in Seattle, in the shadow of my office in one of those renovated warehouses, and I didn't get to meet you and the delightful Patrick? Damn!

[Adrienne]

I love it! I cannot wait to hear more about Patrick's adventures in kindergarten...he is hilarious, and darling. Thanks for sharing :).

[Lesley]

It sounds like he's got a great teacher.

He may be too advanced or something, but have y'all (I'm a Texan, I can say that!) seen "Word World" on PBS? All of the animals/structures are made out of the letters that spell the word. I thought of Patrick when we watched it the other day :)

[txmama]

I loved this post! Thanks so much for sharing. I agree that the teacher handled things very well. A gasp and, "You're already reading?!" would have been a bad sign.

On another note, if you felt like writing a post on good chapter-books for 4 and 5 year olds, that would be wonderful! What fiction does Patrick enjoy? We are having trouble finding age-appropriate, yet challenging, books for our daughter.

[Laura K.]

YAY! I'm sure the teacher thoroughly enjoyed her conversation with Patrick. And yes, I would say that he definitely brought his 'A' game! :)

[cherylc]

Not to feed the trolls, but who wants to get over one's kid? You're supposed to like your child and think his/her strengths are amazing, whatever they are.

I live in Seattle also, near to my family. It's awesome, and my daughter is really close to her cousins. (This is more in response to the REDBOOK post.)You should move out here! Real estate is expensive, however.

[L]

Excellent! He did great, beyond great. Great starts, I am sure the teacher got the idea. I don't think I can hope for anything like that, I'll be happy if I get hi out of my kids when they meet the teacher for the first time.

Time to google 51Peg :)

[Dara]

Gosh, I wouldn't be surprised if the school will suggest he skip a few grades.

Good luck, Patrick..have a wondrous school year!

How are you doing?

[victoria]

Oh my god I love that kid.

[carosgram]

I knew that Patrick would let the teacher know he could read when he wanted her to know. I also think the teacher was totally charmed by him as I am by your recounting of the event. I only wish I had a child like Patrick at my school. Unfortunately they are very rare and very precious. Lucky you!