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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Leaving it up to her

N is very much the child who wants to try new stuff.

She asked to try out for Future Problem Solving, and when she didn't make the team it was really no big deal.  I expected to have to console and coddle a bit, but there was no need.  She doesn't seem to wear her heart on her sleeve as much as her mother did at a similar age.

She received an invitation to try out for Written Assessment, and we were both surprised when she did make that team since most of the time 4th graders' scores do not qualify them.

Every Wednesday at the end of the day, she would go pick up her written assessment practice tests.  At first, she was all gung-ho and filled them out with enthusiasm.  I helped her answer the ones with which she wasn't familiar and even prepared some review sheets with definitions and such.

I found myself sometimes asking, "Have you gone over your written assessment sheets?" but I didn't want to drive myself and her nuts with badgering.  

Today is the competition, and yesterday she was all, "I'm so nervous.  I wonder how I will do?"

I just kept my mouth closed.

I wanted to lecture her on, "You've got to prepare and study if you want to do well," and all the other mom-things I could think of, but I didn't.

There are enough things I have to harangue her about, and I didn't want academic competition to be one of those things.  It is just not important to me and seemingly her as well.  Ultimately, she has to learn that to do well an individual has to plan and prepare.  It is her call, her choice, and she is the one who has to live with the consequences.

Although, given her glibness about making and not-making teams, I doubt she will be that upset if she doesn't do well.

It is me blogging about it, as I do other things that stay.on.my.mind.

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