Project 365: Day 10 - Wed. May 27th, 2009

It's a 100% repeat!

Today Cody brought home two math assessments that were 100%!! :) One dealt with money and the other measurement. Mrs. Zucker, the BEST 1st grade teacher ever, told me he was really good in math and here was the proof. And even better than the score was the comment that came along with it as Cody and I looked over the tests together. "And Mama," he said, "These tests were so easy! I didn't even have to use the dot strategy!". The dot strategy!?! That was a few days after he told me how he had helped Paul use his "coping strategies" when he was crying in class. Coping strategies? I think I need to sit in first grade and learn some of Mrs. Zucker's coping strategies and then pass them on to my ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelth graders! But these two tests stand as a huge milestone in my little man's life ...

Because not too long ago I was very concerned about how well Cody would do in school. His pre-school teacher used to send home negative reports everyday. She wrote such horrible things ... my heart ached when I read them. Soon it become apparent that Cody was in a negative environment that was affecting him. He cried every morning - begging me not to have to go to school. I talked with the teacher and after five minutes of conversation I knew what I had to do - find a new pre-school. When I took Cody to a pre-school in Owings Mills I showed the director the notes the teacher was sending home. She took one look at them and threw them down on her desk in disgust. I knew at that moment that My Second Home was going to be exactly that - Cody's second home. That decision was easy compared to the others that would follow ... the recommendation to see a child psychologist, the kindergarten teacher's recommendation to have him evaluated for an IEP, and then finally the suggestion he repeat kindergarten. The psychologist said he was having normal transitional anxieties after two sessions. The IEP meetings turned out to precautionary and not necessary. The extra year of kindergarten was, and still is, at this point in my life, the best decision I have ever made as a mother.

He has grown emotionally, physically and mentally. He would have been OK had he gone on to 1st grade that year but now instead of being OK - he is excelling. So many people told me, "Boys just mature at slower rates" and my Cody Lee is the poster child for that slogan. Not long ago I had to pick Cody up from school early and ran into Mrs. Clarke, the school principal. She said, looking at Cody with a smile, "All he needed was the gift of time. He has come so far! I'm sure you questioned your decision but I wish you could talk to all the parents who think that repeating Kindergarten is sentencing the child to failure. I wish all parents could see past the stigma and do what is best for the child." I told her, "I never questioned it - I promised myself that once I made the decision I would never look back and hopefully, neither would Cody." For it was Cody who actually reminded me that there was no need to look back. It was Back to School Night and a student who went on to first grade saw Cody and asked why he was still in Kindergarten. Cody's answer was simply, "Cause I haven't learned everything yet." And he walked away, self-esteem in tact, head held high. My little man just sailed through one of life's defining moments. I was proud. I was humbled. I was giving God thanks.