Anders McStanders
When you are a parent, the only thing you want in life, is for your kids to “get it”…. to be smart, to be witty, to excel, to succeed, and most importantly, to be happy…….
This last month we have been through a couple little rough patches with Anders. Not because he’s a bad kid, or a rebellious kid (like I was), or that he’s a total dirtbag kid, but because he is Anders….. he is one of his own kind. He is the youngest in a class of like 20, but yet he is the glue…. He is the kid in class that everyone notices when he is gone or sick and absent. He never means harm, he always strives to please, but yet, he beats to his own drum. He is so smart, street smart, witty smart, humor smart… he , to me, ”gets it”…… He has that one little element, from what I have witnessed, some of his little buddies do not have. He will be somebody great……… but today, and from the day he was born, he has always been great to me…. he is my baby, he is the one that turned this young, selfish woman into a mommy, and a mommy to him I will always be….. why o’ why must our kids grow up so quickly….???
So today was his second parent teacher conference, except today’s conference was a little different. In that, he LED the conference. It was a “celebration of learning” if you will. I know it sounds all Oregon/Granoli,, but in my opinion, it was highly effective and really gave Anders and opportunity to shine and show off who he is, what he is working towards as a student, and what his progress has been thus far. He has come SO far this year. Making progress in leaps and bounds in all areas of school. Along with his teacher at the table, and hubby and I, Anders explained several areas of school, the projects that he and his class are working on, science projects, reading stuff, math stuff, task direction stuff, a well rounded conversation. His teacher, Noelle (whom I’ve grown to adore) fluttered between tables, as we shared the slot with one other student and his mother. It was really awesome and enlightening. At first, I thought,, wow.. this is going to be tough on her because she’s going to have to share the conference period with two different families, and won’t get as much “one on one” time with each parent(s)…. but it was great.
It was obvious that Anders was so totally nervous in the beginning. In fact, this morning before he left for school, as we were telling him that we’d see him up at the school at 3:30 pm,, he wanted to clarify that while writing his “agenda” to his conference that he had written some of the things during a time when he had just got in trouble……. Trouble…….. trouble.. what constitutes trouble?? Especially when you’re a 2nd grader. ??? Well,,, it’s been a few things here and there that have led him to be in trouble. Somehow, he navigated his way onto the internet during library/computer time, which, he doesn’t have access to the internet here at home……. a week or so ago, he hid underneath a table or around a corner and jumped out and said “BOOOOOO” to a teacher,, scaring the ever-lovin-wits out of her (which is totally inappropriate yes,, I agree)… and then a few days before that, he got in trouble for not going to sit on the gym stage after being “tagged” several times in a game of tag. He hates being the loser……. So while all these things constitute further instruction and counseling,,, I mean,, at least he’s not running around the school saying obscenities and kicking people in the ass.. He’s a boy. He’s a good boy,, He’s MY good boy. I will forever be proud of him, no matter who he is, who he grows up to be, or what anyone ever thinks of him!! I’m proud of you Anders, for all that you do, and for the person that you are growing up to be!!! I love you!!!
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
He has a heart of gold.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I always get into trouble for encouraging kids to just “go with your personality”. I have no idea why. It seems like teachers these days are such (for lack of a better word) pussies at that grade level that its just plain sad. Back in my day (I love saying that) – the first teacher that really got to me, really REALLY broke through my thick skull was Ms. Nancy Scranton – my 6th grade teacher. Ol’ Nancy was a thirtysomething black lady with the mouth of a sailor and if you crossed her path, man, she could hit a kid square in the head with one of those wooden rulers from across the room (and I have a scar to prove it – not to mention some slight brain damage but that’s another story). Long story short, we got along but only after she made it very clear to me that there was a time and a place for my “attitude and comedy” (her quote) and a time and a place to “shut my little talk hole and listen”. As I was a gluten for attention at the time, class clown and all that, it always stuck with me …. here was the first person in my school life that ever took the time to appreciate the type of individual I was, praise me for it, and then proceed to tell me that sometimes my behavior was just fine – when other times I was interfering with her getting her job done. It wasn’t that I was a “class disruption”, it wasn’t that I was a “bad kid” and needed my mommy and daddy yelled at for being crappy parents – it was that I needed to pace myself and my attitude about life. She then told me she loved having me in her class and asked me “whats your favorite movie?” – at the time it was Raiders of the Lost Ark (I’m old like that) and she said “What if you had to sit in a room and watch that movie over and over and over and over again? Would you still find it exciting? Would you still find it fun and interesting to watch?”. “No” I replied, “it would get boring”. She said “exactly! now, that’s just how we feel about your attitude here – we love it here and there but after awhile it starts to get stale like old moldy white bread” (I don’t think she was implying anything by comparing me to white bread, but I’ve always wondered
) – anyway, I got the message. It just took someone putting it into a perspective that I could understand, and coming from someone for whom I had a lot of respect.
Teachers yell at parents, parents yell at kids, nothing gets done.
Anders is a good kid. He’s made me laugh hard enough that my stomach has hurt just about every time I’ve ever been around him. Everyone has this messed up notion that kids like that don’t amount to anything later in life and I say Bulls**t they don’t. Ask Jerry Seinfeld’s parents how he acted while growing up…. Heck, ask my parents for that matter. I didn’t turn out how anyone expected and I’m certain that to all involved it was a pleasant surprise. I can relate to the troubles, but sometimes the troubles just aren’t all they’re being built up to be. If he were punching out kindergarten girls, yeah, I can see an issue – playing a light hearted prank on a teacher though…. if that’s their biggest worry at his school then they have it pretty darn good.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Wow…….. see… that’s what I’m talking about man……. Glad to hear it from someone else. Being a parent is a tricky thing, and all you can really hope for is that you are doing your best….. and when they get in trouble, it’s a natural instinct to feel it is a shortcoming effect of your parenting skills. I know no matter what he does to get into trouble, he is still a good kid…. ha ha… I mean, I can actually see the excited little look on his face as he was getting ready to scare the crap out of that teacher…… such anticipation and fun….. If there is anything that Anders is NOT….. it’s boring….. ;c) Thanks so much!!!
March 6th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
You’ve got to put up picks of Loosha dressed up somewhere. Too funny not to share. Have fun with your new font today, and Spoon tonight.