Back to School Combo

We got a surprising call from The Kid’s second grade teacher the weekend before school started on Friday, Sept 1. "I don't want you to be too surprised, and I think this is the best thing for him..." My mother's “little voice” synapses began firing. Hmmm, was she about to reveal something that I just might not like? Yes, Sherlock Holmes. In fact The Kid was put into a "second third grade combo class." Meaning 10 second graders and 10 third graders. Basically, half the time students sit around waiting for the teacher to give them their instructions or answer their questions. This can be compared to the ever so successful bilingual education programs running up in Anaheim and why most of my 7 nieces and nephews are in parochial schools.

So I had my doubts. We went to the school over the weekend to check the student list to see if The Kid knew anyone in the class. Nope, not a soul. And next to the class list was a note posted by the principal. The essence of the note was that “combo classes are interesting, my own children have been in one, don’t even think about complaining to me until 3 weeks have passed.” Again, my mother’s little voice rapped at my skull. “It appears to me that they think I am not going to like this.”

Later this weekend, I bumped into a mother I knew from Kindergarten. We exchanged the usual pleasantries concerning teachers and third grade. She got a funny look on her face when I told her the teacher The Kid had. “Oh, we had Mrs. Know-it-All last year,” she said. Wow, my mother’s instinct smacked me in the face this time. Things didn’t seem good.

On Back-to-School night, the second week into school, I met Mrs. So and So. She was pleasantly plump, just shy of forty, a mom of a 10-month-old, dumpy dress and cute southern accent. Her one give away to her true personality was that she kept referring to the older kids in the class as “Big Third Graders” when explaining how they would need to step it up this year. Hmmm. Outside the class I bumped into a woman who has always been kind to me, another mom. She is sort of the Desperate Housewives type. Beautiful face, clothing and figure with two adorable young girls and a husband 20 years her senior. I assertively approached her and said “HI” and reintroduced myself knowing she wouldn’t know me from Adam. Her face lit into a pretty smile. She asked how it was going. I said great, but my kid was in a combo class. Her perky grin faded and she looked seriously at me. “We were in a combo class last year.” I leaned in closer as her voice dropped to a whisper. “Keep a close eye on things, ya know what I mean?” We exchanged knowing looks and I slithered away into the darkness of the evening mulling over my information.

So I started watching his homework really carefully. Half finished scribbles. Writing assignments that didn’t make sense. Homework that was confusing. Finally, when we figured out which spelling list of the 3 possible he was sent home with to work on I realized he was being given word 3 letters long and one syllable. WHAT? An outrage! He had these in second grade. Things were amiss. Time to take action.

A brief email to Mrs. Big Teacher was in order.

“Mrs. Big Teacher:
3 letter words are pretty basic for his level. This is a step backward from where he was spelling last year and this summer. Do we always pick the ‘blue’ list... and was he supposed to know this? Was he not paying attention so he couldn't give me directions? I would like to understand what level he is in at school, why he is placed there, if he is able to follow directions in the split class. He is a kid that has trouble concentrating so with two sets of directions, it seems that it would be even more challenging for him rather than more helpful. When would be a good time for me to schedule a meeting with you? I know he is pretty frustrated and I want to understand what we can do to help now rather than wait till a meeting in November.
Thank you. Anonymous Mom”

That day she fired back a reply and cc’d the principal, just in case I misunderstood the official nature of her response.

“He was assessed on his spelling skills individually and this is where he fell. I always clarify directions for him individually because he needs this (even when only the third grade is in class). I am concerned that you feel his attention issues or difficulties are because of the combo class. I assure you that I am overly aware of combo issues and go to great lengths to make sure this doesn't interfere. I have spoken to Mrs. Second Grade Teacher and she let me know it was a concern last year even in the full 2nd grade. In any class if you are meeting the needs of all your students there is going to be different directions and different things going on at the same time. If this spelling is review he'll quickly move up. I'll reassess him next week to see if he is ready to move to the next level. Remember he is working on the spelling pattern not the individual words and on his pattern sheets he has done in class he has had a little difficulty. For instance for an "AN" pattern he put san which is following that pattern but not a word. I can meet with you next week on Tues. at 3:00 p.m. Please keep in mind that 3rd grade makes quite a jump and this also may cause his frustration. At the meeting, I'll talk with you about the accommodations I am making for him and the contact Mrs. Second Grade Teacher and I have had. I'll also speak with you about what you can do about the up and coming concepts but I don't want to waste time focusing on the combo situation. It can't change because we are completely full and this is how the district arranged our classes. I am very happy with my class and feel things are working well and want to focus on the positive of the combo. I'll do what ever I can to help The Kid as I would with any student and I'll try and meet your needs as far as assuring you that he is getting individual help and progressing. I'll show you the spelling assessment at that time. I'm always available to help.”

To which I replied (and do I get a medal for class?) – no cc to the principal thank you very much.

“Dear Mrs. Defensive,
Perfect. I look forward to meeting with you on next week on Tues. Sept 26 at 3:00 p.m. Please rest assured that our goal is to understand The Kid’s behavior in the classroom, 3rd grade curriculum, The Kid’s placement in it, challenges that you perceive, and what we can do at home to ensure that The Kid continues to progress at what you would consider to be an adequate pace, and that he completely masters 3rd grade material so that we are not still catching up when he moves to 4th grade. Thank you very much for your time and kind consideration. Anonymous Mom”

I am looking forward to the Tuesday 3PM meeting. Mrs. Pain in My You Know What is about to meet A Mother Whose Little Voice Is Screaming at Her.