Oh, Izzy

Spent this morning doing in-class reading in Iz's class. Every time I visit I am more impressed by the wonderful classroom, the intelligent students, the warm yet firm maestra.

However, it seems that Iz has been having lots of problem behaviors. Can't stop playing/fidgeting with her pencils/pens/erasers all day long, which is driving the maestra bats. And it's not just when she finishes her work early, it's all the time. We will have her keep her supplies in a schoolbox from now on and see if that helps.

Also our girl is having real issues coming clean in situations where she thinks she's going to get in trouble. Last week she clonked Violet in the head with a jumprope she was whipping around. An accident to be sure, but Iz was so freaked that she hid in the bathroom until the recess bell rang.

Then yesterday she and some friends found a piece of paper with the word "fuck" on it, and a list of classmate's names on the back. Iz passed it to a different classmate who doesn't yet read English and who didn't know what it meant, and so took it home to his mom. Who was not pleased, to write the least.

Since Iz was the passer, she got called to the principal's office. She protested with two or three different stories, rapid-fire, so no one actually knows what happened. At least they agreed with Iz's protestation that the word was not in her handwriting. But she has heard the word before, she knows how to read it, and she should have known better.

All this was told to me by Iz's teacher. I've not talked to Iz yet. I have my suspicions that there was peer pressure involved, but I'm not sure from which direction. It very well might have come from my daughter.

The protestation and freaking out about responsibility re: intentional or accidental wrongdoing, though, that is what the teacher is most concerned about. And that is where I'm wondering which direction to go. Obviously not the direct "What the fuck were you thinking?" approach. Hmm.