Monday, August 24th was Zachary's first day of third grade. Everything in the morning went smoothly. He was up bright and early- 6am! He had no trouble getting dressed and brushing his teeth though shortly before the bus came he started acting up and ended up sitting in a time-out. He took his first pill (ADHD med) about 20 minutes before the bus came and off to the bus stop we went. His stop is right around the corner from our house and he has a few friends there so he chatted with them while they waited.
Of course the bus was late and his name wasn't on the roster but the bus driver knew what she was doing and handled the situation very well. Some of the drivers will make a big deal about it but she just laughed it off and kept on going. I was worried though that after school he would be missing. Boy was I happy to see him getting off the bus first! But the strange thing was that almost none of the kids who were at the stop in the morning were there in the afternoon, and most of the kids who got off in the afternoon were not there that morning. I guess it has to do with when the parents work and other schedules.
He didn't say much about school but I sat him down right away and asked him to decide on a time for homework. I allowed him to choose between 4pm and 6 pm. He chose 6 so at 6 we sat down and he read for 15 minutes and we read over the student handbook. It was then that he shared how well behaved he was all day. He said they had an assembly where everyone was talking but he said he was quiet and even received a Bulldog Buscuit (an award that any staff member in the building can give any child who is behaving really well, particularly when their classmates might not be). That doesn't sound like my son! He is usually so chatty and is always getting in trouble for it. I'm not sure if it was that he was nervous about the first day, his medication, his classmates, his teacher or a combination of a few things. He received another Biscuit from his teacher during the day and this is the first time ever he has gotten any so I am so proud of him for getting two in one day!
I am very pleased with how well school is going. Yesterday and today he even woke up and got ready without me telling him to! That is AMAZING! Before he gets on the bus he has no problem giving me at least a hug (and his siblings too, when they are awake) and after school he runs up and gives me a hug again. He has been giving me no trouble at bedtime and last night I allowed him to read in bed (for the first time he actually took advantage of it) for a little bit since he has been so good about it.
I hope that these first few days are an indicator of how well the rest of the year will go. I'm thinking positive!
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Comments: 31
The meds don't help when his sister is around. Those two would drive anyone insane. But as soon as it's a combination of the medication and the structure and guidance he seems to do really well! I am just so glad he is back in his regular school.
My son's school had an award at report card time and then in his 5th year, they only gave it to a very few select people. Though, he received all proficient and outstanding marks, he may have gotten a lower comment on "needs work on being too chatty"... Because of this new ruling at the school, I told him that I was still proud of his work and that he just needs to work on the chatty/social part during the hours that the teacher is doing board work.
You can't wipe the grin off of my face when I think of hearing him getting ready without a fit or a fight. Or even a reminder!
I saw the buses this morning - today is the first day here - and I got so sad. This means summer is about to end :-(
When I was little I loved school so it was hard for me to understand what he was going through. Okay, not just hard but impossible and it was so frustrating.