Today Luke came home acting embarassed. He willingly opened his daily progress folder from school and showed me his report. A sad face.
"Luke did not follow the teacher's directions today. He refused to sit down or stand in line."
I read it aloud. Luke hung his head. We talked about listening. We talked about how his teachers felt sad and frustrated when he repeatedly refused to follow directions.
I asked him what we should do about it. He didn't know. He didn't try to offer an excuse for his actions. I know that kindergarten can be a rough transition even though he's been in school for years. There are a lot more expectations with following directions... and Luke really likes to do his own thing.
I know that his spirit is a thing to be treasured and his independence is a good thing. But sometimes - especially during the first month of school - the best thing to do is to learn the right things to do and follow directions. Its a life skill.
We talked about when you want to thank someone for a gift, you write them a note. I asked if he wanted to write a letter to apologize to his teachers. He said yes. We sat down to write the following note together.
"I am very sorry that I did not listen well today. I will try harder to follow directions. From, Luke"
He was proud of himself to finish the note and asked when he could give it to his teachers. I think he wants to make things right. I hope that tomorrow he starts to listen and follow directions. I know this is a process. I felt bad as his little 5 year old self sat down to write lines... how unoriginal right? I couldn't think of anything else.
But in the end, he understood why he was being punished and why he should write a letter. And I think that learning to say you're sorry when you're in the wrong is an important life skill. Tomorrow's a new day. I can't seem to fix all the other things that made this week rough... at least we can set Luke on the right path.
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