Week 20 - first playdate

First playdate

J comes home on the Monday from school bouncing with joy because he has been invited to a friends’ house to play. This is a major breakthrough. OH and I likewise bounce with joy. J is a very sociable child and has tried very hard to make friends. He seems to have a lot of “mates” and frequently mentions the friend who has issued the invite and another lad, but this is the first time he’s been invited to anyone’s house in his class. So off he goes. We are thrilled – let’s hope this is the sign of him really settling down now.

1/18 for a German test….

Unfortunately on the Wednesday he has an unexpected German test in oral comprehension and scores only 1 out of 18. This is a shame but I’m not worried about it – he clearly worked as hard as he could at the time. They weren’t given any notice of the test, and he said that the teacher spoke very fast. He’s OK about it by the time he goes to bed. I remind him that his teacher told us only two weeks ago how pleased she is with him – and after all, we all have our off days.

Postponed ice skating finally happens

C finally gets to go ice skating with his extra German class on the Wednesday, and announces that he wants to go ice skating at the weekends now, not skiing. Hurrumph. No chance, sonny Jim. The slopes beckon.

Ponies revisited

He also comes home with the news (I’m relieved to share) that the jugendchor are now pronouncing pony as Bonnie. Phew. I will be able to enjoy the concert without being forced to sit in the back row for fear of a teenage-style giggling fit.

More extra German

C has been scheduled one more extra German class, in his “free period” on a Friday morning: what this means is that his late start no longer exists. This is great - I’ll grab any extra free German tuition I can for them.

Times-tables

The icing on the cake is that C’s class start working on times-tables. I have been dreading this, and start checking his first piece of times-tables homework with a heavy heart, fearing the moment of having to re-explain it all and the inevitable frustration that will follow. Will he have grasped any of the concept at all ?

Yes.

It’s about 90% correct.

He is completely unfazed by it – in stark contrast to his reactions in previous years when a new concept has been introduced to him.

The very pedantic method of maths teaching here is paying massive dividends for him. I daresay to some children it’s too slow and dull, but, from what I can work out, they take a single, simple concept and gradually build it up.

Whooppee !