Confidence

Progress reports are going home today with students and for me, I just completed 45 progress reports for kindergartners. Their first official progress report from a public school. As I worked on these all weekend, I wanted to be positive, encouraging, yet honest to facilitate growth. I just finished writing a newsletter to accompany the progress reports because I felt explanations were needed, especially for first time parents.

My school district asks me to rank children on this descriptor, Demonstrates confidence. I really wrestled with this because being a shy child does not mean you do not display confidence, nor does being a quiet child. This was my final thinking and explanation to parents. Sometimes you have to be honest in the best interest of children.

I do not think or feel I can give your child a number for confidence. I believe if they have had the courage and strength, which lead to confidence to walk into our large school, spend a full day with a stranger and new friends then they are all confident daily. From what I have experienced, it takes confidence to transition to many things during a school day, it takes confidence to ask for help, it takes confidence to sit quietly and listen, it takes confidence to tell someone you may not like what they are doing, it takes confidence to cry, it takes confidence to sing and even sing while using the bathroom. It happens, believe me. Each child got a 4 in confidence.
Think carefully about your students and their souls.