Kiss My Knits!

It’s EOG time for the local schools, the end-of-grade testing that determines so many things. They really stress it. Emphasis on stress. I was talking with the moms of Em’s Girl Scout troop yesterday, and one said that she was so freaked out about it that morning that she was crying. It’s a lot of pressure.

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From: (Em’s speech therapist)
Subject: Emily’s behavior during math EOG testing
Date: May 20, 2009 9:08AM
To: (Tvini)

Mrs. Hill,
I just wanted to tell you that Emily is not doing her best today. She refuses to use her strategies and she is just not trying. I thought maybe you might want to send her a supportive message. Thanks. – (speech therapist)

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From: (Tvini)
Subject: Emily can do this!
Date: May 20, 2009 9:20AM
To: (speech therapist)

Hi, Emily! I just want you to know how proud I am of you for trying your best in math. I know it is hard, and sometimes it gets frustrating. But you are very brave. You are smart, courageous, hard-working and I know you can remember how to stay calm and try. You don’t have to get every question right, you just have to do the best you can. If you try hard, I will ALWAYS be proud of you!

Hang in there, sweetie. I am thinking about you and how great you are. Underneath this is a special heart, just for you. I love you very much!!!

Love, Mommy

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From: (speech therapist)
Subject: RE: Emily can do this!
Date: May 20, 2009 12:53PM
To: (Tvini)

Ms. Hill,
Your note made a HUGE difference!. I want you to know how impressed (special area assistant) and I were with the amount of tremendous effort that Emily put forth. That test was a BEAR, with 54 items and the very first ones were so frustrating. Emily cried some, but I’m not too sure that I wouldn’t have done that myself, faced with that long, hard test. Anyway, we took breaks on the computer after 3 or 5 problems, and she really worked hard. (Special area teacher) was absent. (Extenuating circumstances explained).
Emily did not eat her lunch, because I let her select 2 snacks from the vending machine. We are eating our lunch together and then she will go outside for a recess. Sorry about the unhealthy lunch. And thanks again for your email to her. It was great and just what she needed! – (speech therapist)

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I think Em earned a vending machine lunch. That was a good idea the teacher had, seeing about getting a note. It was very lucky that I was home and at the computer. I am eternally grateful that Em has such wonderful teachers and specialists looking out for her.

Tomorrow is the non-calculator math portion of the test. Let’s hope things go well.