Jon-Mical has a lot going on at his new school these days! He now attends First United Methodist Preschool. Jon-Mical loves it there and so do we! We are so glad that we made the switch. This is an accredited preschool that follows a curriculum. I feel like he is being stimulated and challenged instead of simply being baby-sat. The school "tests" the students twice during the year. We then have a parent-teacher conference following the "testing period." I am calling it a test even though it seems that they simply observe the students in the day to day things and then see how they are doing in relation to other children at the same age. I was very impressed with all of the things that they are looking for and monitoring in Jon-Mical's development. They "test" him in his social, physical, behavioral, and cognitive development. We were very happy with the discussion that took place in our conference. It is very obvious that his teacher cares for each child and really strives to teach them and challenge them in a fun way! Socially, Jon-Mical is right on track. He gets along well with his peers and "plays well with others." Josh and I were worried about the physical part of the test. Jon-Mical seems to be very unsure of himself physically and very awkward. Mrs. Rhonda said that he is right on track there as well with his fine and gross motor skills. Apparently all kids are awkward at this age. :) Jon-Mical does need to work on the way that he holds his pencil, but the teachers are aware of this and we are all working on it. Behaviorally, Jon-Mical is fine. He is very sensitive, so simply looking at him usually stops any unwanted behavior and usually also leads to tears... whew! Cognitively, Jon-Mical seems to be a little ahead. He is very smart and learns quickly and seems to really want to learn! he loves to count. His strengths are math and verbal skills. I say all of that to lead to this... there was one part of the conference that concerned me. Josh says that I am over-reacting (ME???), but I am still slightly worried. His teacher said that Jon-Mical struggles with self-confidence and is very unsure of his abilities. Josh did immediately add in that "I can't" is a very big part of his every-day vocabulary and Mrs. Rhonda agreed. I hate this!!!! I feel like he, being the first grandchild on both sides, has been unceasingly praised from birth! I honestly used to worry that he was going to be a little cocky punk because of all of the praise that he is given on a daily (really hourly) basis. We all compliment him so much. It is just so hard for me to believe that he doesn't see this in himself. I guess, now that we know, we will work on it and try to improve his confidence. I do know that we need to work on fostering his independence. He needs to be able to do some things for himself that I have been doing (getting him dressed, brushing his teeth, etc.) and I am going to work on that...
Whew! Jon-Mical's school also recently had a fall festival and bike rodeo. The kids brought their bikes and rode around in a circle for sponsors. I have attached some pics of this event! I have also attached some pics of Ben's family! His son, Luke, just turned 1 and they are the cutest little family! We are going to Dyersburg this weekend to celebrate Luke's birthday and get in a little family time! Yay!
Jakson is growing up so quickly. He is cutting both of his top front teeth at the same time. I feel so sorry for him, but he doesn't seem to mind! He is still just as happy as ever!
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