Preparing for School

 

 

When Pavan and me returned from our nature walk, we found the kids lazing in the swimming pool, in the afternoon sun, starring into thin air, thinking something so profound.  It was such a peaceful sight…

They had read their teacher’s letter’s a couple of days earlier. In anticipation to their first day at school , were they raking their brains on which is that special picture from their vacation, that would make the cut to be displayed at school? Or, was it, about that special thing that they could show to their class that would tell their classmates about themselves?  Meantime, I am going through 3 lists of school supplies to fill up. I had thought that just like I am managing the triplets at home the teachers would give me a list that I would need to fill times 3.

I have been hoping for this, for the last 2 years. But, it doesn’t happen so.  I wonder why, that in spite of the triplets being in the same grade, their list of school supplies that each of their teacher asks is so different. One of them wants a 1” binder, while the other one will ask for a 3/4” one, one of them wants a 2 pocket red folder while the other teacher will ask for another color. One of them will want 3x3 post it’s, and the other will have a request for a ruled one with different size. Why does this task have to be so complicated?  Why do I have to have a list that is 3 times long instead of buying 3 of the same things from a common third grade list?

I could extend this topic a little further. Why was it, that one of my kid had a Math Teacher come to their class to teach, while the other kid’s class teacher took the class with them?  Why is it that one of my kid is better at verbal but, her math homework is not on par with the other kid’s math homework? The kid who’s math homework is challenging enough doesn’t have the verbal part as challenging. Shouldn’t all the kids be provided with teachers who’s expertise lies in verbal as well as quantitative? 

I consider myself lucky that I’m able to look at 3 different teaching strategies from 3 teachers. I am able to compare their homework s. This helps me understand why one of my kid is excelling on one scene while the other kid doesn’t seem to.  It helps me make decisions on what I can do as a mom to get all my kids on par. Most of the times, the response I got from the school when I pointed this out was a simple sentence, this can’t be compared. Intellectually, I know that all my kids are around the same level. Then why is it that one kids gets a teacher who is better at verbal and the other one gets a teacher who math skills are better? Why does this kid have to miss out on the verbal part and vice versa? These are some of the things I will have to deal with in this year.

Coming back to the school supply list, since I don’t have a choice here, I decide that instead of cribbing about this, I will skim the stores to make sure the color coded folder demands are met. The wide ruled or other ruled composition books and subject books  and binders with different tab requirements are bought. I just wonder what is done with all these supplies through the year. For the last 2-3 years, I’ve seen these note books come back home at year end( I don’t even remember how many were bought), with just a few pages filled out. Makes me wonder, why they need all these books if all they are going to write in them is a few pages.

The next evening as I spoke to the kids asking them how they felt about going back to school in another week and a half, the kids told me they were excited and had already figured out what they were going to show to their classmates on the first day of school, just like I was able to buy all the items that was on their list of school supplies by logging onto some online store.