PS

For all those worried about Calvin and his self esteem — don’t be concerned. He’s fine. His teacher couldn’t be nicer. (From looking at the work samples Calvin was turning in, he’s much nicer and more understanding than I would be). See, in the background of this picture he’s yawning his way through his flashcards. Not embarrassed at all.

Part of the issue is he isn’t confident with his math facts (and has always been that way) so when they are doing work in class he takes WAY longer to do it than anyone else. Thus, the multiplication flashcard suggestion to help him pick up speed. Hopefully increased speed will equal increased confidence and he’ll leave behind that deer in headlights look when presented a problem to solve.

The picture of him with his head in his hands and Josh mid-eyeroll was CLASSIC Calvin and pretty much summed up what math has looked like at our house for the past 6 years. If something doesn’t come easily to him he gets frustrated and gives up instead of trying to figure it out. He’d rather avoid than fight. This meeting was more of a “we’re going to make sure you keep fighting” coaching session.

So don’t worry that his confidence has been bruised or anything — he still thinks he’s plenty awesome at lots of things (whether he is or not). We’re hoping that someday he’ll be able to say that he’s awesome at problem solving, attention to detail and seeing something through to completion. It’s not about the math, but the man we’re hoping he will become.