When I went to pick up the kids from preschool this afternoon, Ryan's teacher was waiting in the hallway for me. She wanted to talk to me about some artwork that they did today, and she was concerned about Ry's performance.
She had made this penguin (left) and given the kids the "parts" to the penguin to try and recreate it. The right photo is what Ry came up with. Understandably, she was concerned. She did show me some of the other kid's work, and by far, my little guys was the "worst" rendering of a penguin.
Some days (I wish more often than actually happen though), I do a little workbook with him while Julia naps. In my panic, I pulled it out this afternoon, and while he was working in it, I cut out some pieces to a ship to see how well he was able to recreate it. Mine is the left. His is the right. He did much better with this, but I am not sure why. I was sitting right next to him, and I did help him put the glue on the paper. But he did all the placement and drew his own circles and smoke.She had made this penguin (left) and given the kids the "parts" to the penguin to try and recreate it. The right photo is what Ry came up with. Understandably, she was concerned. She did show me some of the other kid's work, and by far, my little guys was the "worst" rendering of a penguin.
So, do I worry about this?!?
13 comments:
seems he was probably just more distracted at school, than during the one and one with you at home, where he is very familiar with his surrounding and people...not taking it all in, so to speak. think it was a little extreme to meet you in the hallway about the penguin. ha- watch, he will grow up to be a graphic artist.
no way jose. this coming from the art teacher. he is creative, he thinks outside the box, he is a non-conformist, he is a leader not a follower.
(i like what the other comment says, he was probably bored)
as far as being able to copy art, lines, or drawings, give it time and then worry. not yet.
i worked with an art teacher and she could tell which kids would need title reading services by their ability to copy but this was late kindergarten and first grade.
good luck and don't worry mama.
as an art teacher... this is fine. let him use his immagination. I feel this is higher level thinking rather than copying.
he probably didn't care to make a penguin in class today. boats are more his speed. :)
i wouldn't worry about it either. goodness, he just turned four!
i'm no teacher, but i'm all about thinking outside the box. let him do his thing and if you notice a pattern, then I would worry.
kudos to the teacher, though, for paying enough attention to him to bring it up. i'm impressed!
I'm with Carly on this...watch for patterns, then have some concern if you see that he's really not able to follow instructions. He probably just didn't care about the penguin!
My oldest, Luke, is a daydreamer, and thus misses instructions sometimes...is this a possibility?
He just probably won't be a vet surgeon
-Mat.
Seriously??? I'm SHOCKED that she was concerned about this? I don't have any educational background. But, seriously??? He's 4, for goodness sake. And some kids, just don't like doing that kind of stuff. So, he probably did it halfway, just to be done because he wasn't interested. He can't be good at EVERYTHING can he? Owen is HORRIBLE at art and if you ask him to copy a picture of a person..he still doesn't put the arms/hands/feet/ears on his person most of the time. Why?? Because he doesn't like doing it. That's all.
I am emailing you about this now too. Talked to Jerry who has his doctorate in pyschology. He knows a LOT about child development. His first response was quick and said possible dyslexia. He said it shows because kids see things in the world in their brains differently then the rest of us. There are great evaluations. My brother was dyslexic and not diagnosed until his Junior year. He hated school until then and went on to get two college degrees. Funny part is that he was an artist. Guess he still sees the world differently and it makes beautiful art!
I like it. He defines things less by what OTHERS see and more by what HE sees. More of that and the world would be a MUCH better place! Plus, if you watch Discovery, you'll notice that Penquin populations are depleting because the icebergs are melting and global warning. He knows this and wanted to send a message to the world!!!
The message was this...
BOATS CAN FLOAT - PENGUINS ARE DEAD IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING!
Deep thinker...
Good grief! What in the world about suggesting dyslexia! I think that is quite a stretch from one penguin gone awry! Typical!
I felt sorry for that comment, and hope you take it with a grain of salt...or a whole pound! A doctorate in psychology is worth about as much as a Happy Meal! ha-
Don't worry Erica, I agree that he was probably bored and wanted to be done so he could move on to the next thing. Four year old don't have a big attention span, and the teacher had probably spent too long on it. The teachers job is to help develop his love for learning. I don't think it was appropriate to make a diagnosis after one assignment.
From a school counselor perspective;) Did you ask his pre-school teacher why she told you this info and what it means to her?
My suggestion...keep a folder and collect pieces of his work that teachers or you have concerns about. Even journal any concerns you have including the month and year. I suggest this because I know you have expressed various concerns. This way, in a few years if there is still a concern you have a collection of data.
As for the penguin project...my guess is that the purpose of this task did not so much involve art but a creative way to complete a given task for a 4 year-old. Chances are the teacher was trying to observe memory, attention, decision making, and related skills. I agree with an above post, Ryan possibly did better at home with you because the environment was one-on-one and there were no distractions. He could of been in the mood then, afternoon instead of morning could have been a factor, or simply the fact that a boat seemed more appealing than a penguin. Ry may have a mental picture of a boat more imprinted in his brain than a penguin;) All little minds develop at their own pace, some areas of the brain develop faster than others...do not be discouraged...it is not a reflection of intelligence, only the way information is processed!
Honestly, I'm not going to tell you it's fine bc I'm not an expert in the area and even an expert's advice can only go so far until a child is properly evaluated. Hold onto the information and use it wisely.
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