Thursday, August 29, 2013

Letter To Collin's Kindergarten Teacher

So that Collin's teacher could get to know him a little, I wrote the following letter (well, email since who really writes letters these days?):

Ms. Mitchell,
Collin is 6 years old and is our only child.  He is sweet, loving, easy-going and witty.  It's his since of humor and smarty pants-ness (best word to describe him) that puts him at the center of attention regularly.  He loves to laugh and make others laugh.  Because of this, he is very social which can be distracting to others…and you.  Regularly, neighbor friends want to come over and play at our house or swim in our pool. 
When he is not playing with his friends, he loves to play sports…especially soccer and baseball.  He is playing flag football this Fall and started practice after school already.  He did not think he would like it until he saw that there would be lots of running and throwing the ball.  Most of the summer, after he came home from camp, he wanted to swim in our pool…and have his friends join him. 
He is very creative.  When we do sit and draw, color or paint, he not only draws a picture but puts a lot of thought into it.  He then describes in detail what he drew and why he chose the colors he did.  Most of the time, his drawings include Mommy, Daddy and at least one of his grandmothers since they are a big part of his life.  If he is not coloring, drawing or painting, he likes to play card or board games.  He is OK if he loses and understands that both people cannot win.  You have to be careful when you play with him because he will try to cheat if you let him.  J
Collin is sensitive.  He does not like it when he knows that he has disappointed anyone or thinks he is in trouble.  He used to cry easily but has gotten better at this unless he is really tired. 
He is also resilient.  As you have probably guessed by now when you first met me, I have had a challenging year.  However, my family and supportive family and friends helped me get through this year so far.  Collin was great during this time.  At first, he did not understand what was going on.  To help him, I read him a book from the American Cancer Society that explained what would be happening to me and how he could help me.  He especially liked the part in the book where he could guess what color my hair would be when it grew back.  "Green…I want you to have green hair!" and then would laugh…demonstrating once again his sense of humor.  When I was in the hospital recovering from my biggest surgery, he came to the hospital so that he could see I was hurt but going to be fine.  He then realized that his playmate, me, would need some time to recover and could not throw the ball, run or even get on the floor to put puzzles together with him.  He was VERY patient (more than I was) with me allowing me the time I needed to recover.  When he would come to hold my hand, he would check with me to make sure that the hand was not on my "hurt side".  He asked lots of questions about me and how I felt but did not shed a tear.  He was happy because he was getting attention another way with his friends coming over or him getting to spend the night most weekends for several months. 
Academically, Collin likes math and is happy to work with addition and subtraction.  He does not seem interested in learning words or practicing writing.  Ms. Rincon worked with him a few weeks before school started and said that he is very smart but lacks confidence that he knows the correct answer especially when it comes to his ABCs and writing.  Getting him to focus on his work has been a past challenge.  I tried working with him last year and through the summer with his letters which were his least favorite.  He preferred to do matching, sorting, hidden objects, numbers or other puzzle games.  Our goal for him this year is for him to pay attention to you and not be disruptive to the other students especially when he is bored.  I would also like for him to be comfortable with his ABCs (upper and lower case). 
We know that you will enjoy having Collin in your class and getting to know him this year.  We think you will see why we think he is the most awesome little guy you will meet.
Collin's Mommy and Daddy

No comments: