It must have been the third day of school before there was a bit of bump in the road. Everyone skipped down to the bus stop in the morning and dragged themselves back in the afternoon. Everyone had a good snack and some fun stories to report. I will confess to enjoying an increased level of daily communications from the teachers - each child coming home with a folder or binder brimming with homework, communications, the contagious spirit of the school community catching on like wildfire.
Then my son - you remember him, the chocolate and bacon guy - came home with a "3" on his report. You see, every other day, he'd had a smiley faced sticker which I presumed to be an implied "your son rocks the 1st grade". But a "3" looming mysteriously in the slot where the smiley sticker belonged was disturbing indeed. My son explained in great detail with crystal clarity that getting a "3" means "blue". I flipped the page over and there sat a comment. The comment read "he had trouble sitting properly in circle". Ahhh - probably all of the chocolate got him riled up since there's not much else to put in his lunchbox. Things were starting to make more sense. But what were the kids doing while the teacher was stickering and commenting? Let's leave that question of classroom management for a later date.
So, I approached my blue eyed beauty to talk this matter through in a reasonable and adult fashion:
Mom: So - what's with the 3 today?
Son: Oh - I didn't sit right in circle
Mom: Hmmm. What would right be exactly where circle-sitting is concerned?
Son: I sat on my knees and I was supposed to sit criss-cross-applesauce.
Mom revealing no disdain: Wow - for real?
Son: Yep. For real. Criss-cross-applesauce is really important to my teacher. Well, I guess I don't get to pick something from the treasure chest this week.
It was at this second, the second when I realized that the humiliation of a "3" for the day would be reinforced with the removal of the full weeks behavioral bribery, that my brain exploded. As it turned out, two of my kids had the honor that Friday of receiving treasure chest items and I am proud now to own one(more) rubber bouncy ball and one glow in the dark bracelet. I worried after their delicate psyches right up until I saw those neat prizes. I imagined the damage if they had to watch all of the "good" kids pick diamond encrusted jewels from a treasure chest while they sat in the corner with a dunce cap.
I find myself at a crossroads. Either I need get them on the therapists couch pretty soon, run out and buy some stickers and treasure to continue the tactics at home, or there's always my favorite old school...
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