Accomplishments: Gavin

Saturday morning Gavin said "Mom, I have something in my back pack to show you!"

On Friday's they have been doing timed tests for math - one for addition and one for subtraction. Gavin was doing really well with these before the holiday break, but then when he went back he was struggling. I didn't really understand why because he knows his stuff when we do flash cards. I think he got used to using crutches (number lines, fingers) during the test, even though he wouldn't use those at home. When they took away the number line, his scores dropped.

At any rate, we have been working on this at home - using flashcards, as well as talking about the test, and just trying to boost his confidence. Pumping him up, telling him that he knows these, and a test isn't that much different than the flash cards, he just has to write them down instead of saying the answer. (He's a pretty slow writer, so that puts him at a little disadvantage for timed/written tests, although that is getting better as well).

Over the course of the last few months his scores have gone from single digits, to the teens, to the low twenties. His issue wasn't that he was getting them wrong, it was that in the three minutes given, he was only answering that many questions.

Anyway -  back to the papers Saturday. +29/30 on addition!

Then the best news....he was so proud of this. And I know he's totally my boy because these are the things I used to get really excited about in school too. Only we were doing timed math tests in 3rd grade, not 1st!

He handed me not 1, but 2 sheets of paper for his subtraction test! He had completed all 30 of the subtraction problems, and still had time left, so he was given a second sheet and got 32 right. He was so proud that he had two pieces of paper. I was so proud of his accomplishment - I know how hard he has been working and it was great to see him take so much pride in his scores.