Matthew has been just a joy! In fact this morning he was on announcements for winning the CHAMP of the week. His picture will be posted in the front of the school hallway. He won out of all K, 1, and 2nd grade. Children receive blue tickets when they are caught showing good character. Their name is placed in a box and one name is drawn every Friday from the K, 1st, and 2nd box. He was the winner this week and since this is the first week we have started the system he is the first winner as well. He receive a metal this morning. You should be proud!You, gentle reader, have it easy: before Rachel mailed his teacher (about his report card -- she volunteered the rest), we'd slowly puzzled out much of the above from fragmented kindergartener explanations. ("I got a blue ticket!" "Why?" "They caught me doing champs!" "What's champs?" "I don't know." Later, I explain to Rachel, "they caught him doing stamps." "Not stamps!" Matthew interrupted angrily. Maybe he thought I was making a joke at his expense, but I couldn't remember. "Well, something like that. What was it?" "I don't know." In another moment of lucidity he explained that it had to do with being quiet while the teacher talks and sitting with your legs crossed. So we supposed it was something good.)
The initial ticket was last week. Then, Matthew told us, they were going to draw all the blue ticket names from a hat "in front of the whole school!" And if your name comes out, you get a medal!
Matthew was sure his name was going to be drawn. I tried to prepare him for a let down: "all the other kids want their name to come out, too. It's all right if it's not yours." But he was sure, and I warned Rachel as I left to work, "he is going to be really pissed after school." Matthew does not take disappointment well.
Instead, he came home on cloud nine. His name really was drawn. God loves Matthew, I guess.
So, that is why he couldn't wait til Monday. It was a little surreal: normally little disappointments draw out the Grumpy Matthew inside. But today little pleasures drew out the Happy Matthew instead. He opened the lunch Rachel packed last night, and exclaimed, "Fruit salad! I love fruit salad! This is the best lunch ever!"
2 comments:
Is anyone else disturbed by the fact that his teacher used the wrong word for medal????
Laugh!
Yes. Jon and I both noticed that. She spelled it "metal" again later in the email too. Jonathan was going to mention that, but I thought it would sound like we were nitpicking.
But we did notice! Oh well, it's just kindergarten. Now if the school would quit politiking my kid I'd be happy. Matthew came home the other day talking about all the evil factories that pollute in the ocean and kill animals. Ugh! Another time he came home with the notion that Martian Luther King Jr. was the greatest person next to Jesus. He went on and on about how MLK made everyone be nice to each other and that is why we have peace. We need to give that boy a civil rights lesson that includes ALL the critical players. We'll sit him down sometime and show him the speeches and news clips, and talk to him about discrimination- but kindergarten seems too young to me.
Let little kids be kids!
Post a Comment