Finally… someone has told me whats really going on with Kaitlyn at school.
This week, Kaitlyns been taking part in whats called a soutien scolaire. Its basically tutoring in a specific topic for children having trouble with it. Before we left on vacation, Kaitlyns teacher asked us for permission to enroll her in the soutien for children in her class who are having trouble following directions. I asked her if the real problem is Kaitlyns comprehension of French. Oh, no, she assured me that Kaitlyn understands everything and is very smart but just doesnt follow the directions. So… we signed her up.
Tonight at the Boujolais Nouveau party, I had a chance to talk to a woman whose daughter is a friend of Kaitlyns… and is also a teacher at the school. She hasnt been Kaitlyns teacher… until the soutien. She told me that Kaitlyn really had no business being in the soutien because she could do the work quite easily… the only trouble being that sometimes she doesnt understand the instructions in French. Kaitlyn has been going to this school for two years now and FINALLY someone tells me that, no, she really doesnt understand all the French. She said the other problem is that she tends to chatter too much with her little friend, Sophia, and that if their teacher would separate them it would be better for both of them.
Now… to tackle the ordeal of figuring out when to get French lessons for Kaitlyn… since the one private teacher she likes isnt available the one day a week she doesnt have school…. But at least I know what I need to do. Finally.
The concept of immersing oneself in a French speaking environment and managing to decipher whatever someone tells you over time has always puzzled me. When they don’t perform charades to accompany their patter is the Coup d’état. Maybe the school would agree that Kaitlyn would benefit more by taking a few hours away from school once a week for French lessons (she could make exceptions on those days when the demonstration of nuclear physics reactors was shown, etc).