One day Jordan came home from first grade and told me "If I were her (Jordan's teacher) I would quit my job because she has to yell at the kids so much." Well, that can't be good.
A few weeks earlier, during our parent teacher conference, this same teacher informed us that Jordan being in the classroom, was like having a student teacher present. Huh? She said when they made eye contact, Jordan appeared to understand her level of frustration whenever she had trouble controlling the boys in the classroom.
There were so many aspects of this conversation that seemed wrong. School should be a comfortable environment; a safe haven for all children. Jordan loved learning and being in school, which was actually a huge deal for us. It was my hope that this positivity would continue. It seemed unfair that because a teacher was having difficulty disciplining her class, Jordan was made to feel uncomfortable and anxious. I understood first hand the dynamics of teaching, and the many challenges it involved. I was also blatantly aware of Jordan's tendencies towards over sensitivity and over-intuitiveness.
I assumed most kids were probably unaware of their teacher's emotions; of the behind-the scenes-vibes. Why was Jordan internalizing these angst-filled, adult feelings of frustration at such a young age? She said she would quit if she were the teacher. That's quite a telling statement. When I spoke to her teacher about this, she appeared to get visibly shaken by Jordan's comment. My intent was certainly not to challenge or upset her. After all, I actually had no solid evidence of what was going on in the classroom. All my information was coming from the mouth of a seven year old. A rule following, easily affected, super-serious, seven year old.
Yes, she was different. (I know, who isn't?) But my next pathway of worry began to evolve; the chance that she wouldn't "fit in" with the other first grade children. What if she began to ostracize herself socially, and alienate herself from the other kids?
Realizing that once she was at school, I had no actual, hands-on control (which really was something to get accustomed to) I guess I was forced to hope-for-the-best, like most parents are.
Fast forward to today, and those special people who share the before mentioned super powers...
With the amount of information, emotion, anger, hypocrisy, ridiculousness, natural disasters, violence, lack of respect... well, you probably get my point. With all of this going on, having these super powers must be really, mindbogglingly difficult at times.
Thank you.
Us Too
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