TJ - School Update

When TJ was 2 years old, I remember thinking to myself that one of the things I never anticipated with kids was just how difficult daycare/preschool/school issues would be.  I was prepared for sleepless nights, temper tantrums, and a messy house, but school issues before starting "real" school?

TJ has been very difficult at home recently;  A lot of temper issues (he has a very short fuse) and hitting and screaming.  Another issue is that he has completely lost interest in school, and was to the point of not wanting to go to sleep, knowing that he would have to get up and go to school the next day.  This was so disappointing for us, because of all the schools we've been to, this one exceeds the rest in many ways.  And earlier in the year he really seemed to love going there.

Now, at school, TJ is a model student, in that he rarely has discipline issues, and he is very focused and serious about his assignments.  (At least the temper isn't an issue at school.) Not that he is perfect by any means; in the last couple of weeks, they started to track how often he was going to the bathroom, and some days it was every 10-15 minutes!  Talk about disruptive...Oh, and when we ask why he has to go all the time, he says "I have a buhfection."

After talking to his teacher and the owner of the school last week, we have two theories: 1) He is no longer engaged in his class and is ready for a new challenge, or 2) He is cautious about the level of noise and rowdiness in his class.  (Last year, he did really well in a very organized, calm classroom.)

So, TJ is moving to the next class.  It has half as many students, and the teacher is very soft-spoken.  They are definitely doing more challenging activities.  Most of the kids in there can already read and do simple math.  In a nutshell, TJ loves school again, and is very engaged in his new class.  The new teacher and owner are also pleased with how he is fitting in and assimilating to the new environment.  With only one more month of school, we at least hope that this change will excite him about school again, so that starting up next fall won't be an issue.

We'll of course continue to monitor the situation closely, but hopefully we're on the right track for now...