Conference Update

So, a quick update on school conferences:

I wasn't too worried about M4's conference. I mean, c'mon, it's Kindergarten!! I've been more worried about his socialization, since he is cautious and reserved. But his conference was glowing. He is such a good kid at school; something I've witnessed firsthand because I'm volunteering in his room (after a lengthy wait for my background check to clear!!). And he is definitely coming out of his shell as far as socialization; he may not be the most fearless kid in unfamiliar situations or with unfamiliar people, but he's definitely getting better.

M3's conference was fine, too. My concern with her is math. She started disliking it in 1st grade with the onset of "time tests." In time tests, you have to complete a certain number of problems in a certain time (e.g. 100 problems in 5 minutes). Well, turns out she's not fast at math. So she lost her confidence and in the last few years has tended to say things like, "I'm not good at math," and "Math is my worst subject," etc. Testing at school shows she's well above average when it comes to math ability. I think she just needs to get her confidence back and have some success. So I talked to her teacher about it, because I'm really worried she'll internalize that "girls can't do math" thing. Fortunately, Mr. C. doesn't emphasize time testing. I think showing her the graph of where she charted on math testing compared to other kids gave her a boost, too. The other day she came home and said, "I think I like math now." Let's hope it sticks!