Refocus Sheet

On Wednesday Lyndall had brought home yet another wonderful refocus sheet. Actually the sheets are not wonderful, they are a pain in the butt and make my kid look like he's the worst student in the school. It seems he brings these home at least 2 times a month. Its a sheet that he has to fill out telling what he had done wrong that day and both the teacher and the parent have to sign it.

Usually the problem is his talking in class. The problem is not his, as much as it is a problem for other students. Lyndall has all work turned in and is not missing any work, he finishes his work easy and fast, then he talks to everyone else who is still struggling to finish whatever the assignment is. This has been going on since last year. The teacher says when he is done with his work he knows that he is to find something to do, such as read or catch up on missing work.

The problem again is not the missing work so he's to read. Read, read, read. Read after math, read after science, read after every subject and then come home and read for homework! Yes he like to read, but he gets tired of doing it that much. So here's the refocus sheet.

This Wednesday was different and stupid. He has had csap testing all week. They take away the extra recess to do extra testing. Then they send him to art. He got in trouble for throwing a piece of lead about 1/2 a centimeter long! Oh No! Why don't we just give him some sort of detention for doing such a terrible thing! I'm not saying that he should be throwing things, but when he gets to many of these refocus sheets he has to spend a day in "in school suspension", he's done it before. Why can't a teacher simply talk to him after class and say "hey lets not do that anymore OK?"

The school says that they try to work with him, they tell him to self reward. Does anybody really know what that means for an 8 year old? I don't think that most young adults know what that means. So I have been the one to reward him at home with good behavior that happens at school. I decided to that instead of punishing him at home with bad behavior at school, that's what I was doing and I hated it because he's good at home why punish him at home for school behavior?

For his reward system I made a weekly report card for him to take to school to have the teacher sign everyday for either poor, so-so, or good behavior. When he gets a good mark he gets to put a sticker on his chart and after 5 days worth of good he gets a prize, which we have made up with him., this way he looks foreward to his prize. Yes some of the prizes are little much, but believe me its worth him behaving for. We started this on January 14th and we have gotten 18 days of good. Its a start. I keep an on going goal sheet rather than making him be good all week for a prize because sometimes that is just impossible and I don;t want him to be discouraged. If hes not good one day he knows that his prize is delayed by one day. I do not give him anything for so-so day I just tell him to work a little harder. He knows what it is to behave he just has a hard time doing it when he's bored out of his mind.