Progress Reports

We had a back-to-back session of PTA meetings for Chubbocks and Puddi last week. Chubbocks has always loved schoool, from his playschool days. And he took to Shriram School like a duck to water. But this year, he has a teacher that I sensed was strict and even I felt scared of her on orientation day, so I was not surprised when he later told me that he didn't like school as much any more because she was too strict. Plus he and his gang of 8-9 pals who have all been together since nursery have been split up into different sections, so he's not been altogether happy. Moreover, this year, he gets homework every day but Wednesday, so he has been feeling burdened. I didn't know what to expect from his teacher as a report.


It turns out I didn't have to worry. She has given him such a wonderful evaluation, as have most of his other teachers. In fact, she had written, "A gentle and caring child, he has earned the respect f his peers and teachers alike," which I thought was really amazing. I remember when he was younger, he used to get bullied/ occasionally beaten by other kids and A and I used to have this violence/ non-violence debate, so it feels nice to have his peaceful stance appreciated. And of course, since A and I are at the receiving end of his hair-trigger temper, it was quite a giggle to read that 'it is a pleasure to have such a well-mannered child in my class." As proof of living vicariously through my kids, I exhibit my inordinate pride in having Chubbocks's sports teacher point him out as one of the 2-3 kids talented at soccer - I suck at most sports but soccer was one of my few loves.


For Puddi, Shriram is the third school she's attended, since playschool days, but it's the first one which has such a long day. She goes off with Chubbocks at 7:45 am and they both return at about 3:15 pm, so it is a big change from going to school for 2-3 hours or so. She had a few adjustment problems for the first couple of days but soon got over crying on her way in. An even bigger milestone for her is that she also goes in the school bus along with Chubbocks. The school had asked for parents to volunteer to ride along from time to time to keep an eye on how systems are working, and the afternoon I rode along, I saw her in full action. This 4 year old marches into the bus with all the confidence of a much-older kid, finds a seat for herself and best friend Rehaan, and chattily says hi to the much older kids walking past. A 14 year old boy gave her an embarrassed and somewhat reluctant Hi Alena, as he went past, in response to her enthusiastic and loud greeting, so I guessed Puddi was doing all right. But this was the first formal PTA meeting we'd ever attended for her so we wondered what her teacher would say.

I was blown away by the teacher. First of all, the teacher says Puddi eats all her food fast and then walks around the class chatting with her friends - Puddi who's famous in her family for keeping one morsel in her cheek for as long as 45 minutes!!!Apparently it's a common sight for her to walk around with cheeks smeared with chocolate from her Nutella sandwich at snack times. Then the teacher raved all about Pud's dancing skills saying she moves so beautifully, so rhythmic, have never seen such coordination in such a young child...Some remarks: The 'singing nightingale' of her class; "P's glowing smile in the morning definitely makes one's day'. And the clincher - her teacher said with a wistful tone in her voice, in October, with some 6 months to go for the school year to end, that she's really going to miss having her in class!