Lorna at Vicenza

It was the teacher with the electric blu eyeliner then .... not you

I remember once seeing a lady paramedic working and she had the longest red fingernails and enough make-up on her face to completey stock a Boots counter and masses of loose hair. The friend with me did comment that for a hospital worker she didn't look very 'clean'

indiebird

TR, I knew there was something. The trouble is that we're not talking out and out huge lies that are unbelievable. We're talking lots of little things and little comments that build up over time and make you question your own judgment. Honestly he is the 'king of spin'. He could probably outdo Alastair Campbell

They told us that in just two years of being here is one of the top of the class.... if only he worked, and this is without having any prior knowledge of Italian!! Not bad eh??!! The biggest worry I have for him is him not reaching his full potential and then being frustrated and depressed as a grown-up really.

Anyway, I now have an appointment for the psychologist next Thursday and he came home with a timetable strongly glued into his diary so that I can control which books he needs for which days without him lugging the whole lot around. A friend of his came home yesterday too and they both did their English homework together with me testing the poor girl on her verbs. She actually has a really lovely accent in English but no confidence in herself. She then told me he had to redo some geometry. He reckoned that he had left the book at school but she marched straight to his bag and 'found' the book for him and then proceeded to help him. I feel much more organised now and felt confident that he went to school with the right materials today.

indiebird

The thing is that she knew she had these meetings and she chose this make-up to face all the parents in. I was mesmerised to be honest. Maybe this was the plan.....??

Lorna at Vicenza

Good that you feel better and more confident about stuff and at least now you have a timetable to check which lessons he has on which days.
The schools are sometimes a bit slow at getting these organised, printed and given out to the kids but they usually have them before mid-October.

indiebird

they reckon they actually stapled one into his diary in the first week of school.... I never saw it... never knew it existed even! No wonder they get peed off eh? When they make the effort AND use a couple of staples and there I am complaining that he's carrying too much stuff around!! :curse:

37100

You should all take turns going to school with Indie because that eyeliner has to be seem to be believed. It was something like a 6yr old would put on. She is no spring chicken and it look as if she had used glue and glitter left over from art class. Winx is the first thought that sprung to my mind.

Lorna at Vicenza

and between the two of you, neither of you managed to sneak a photo on a cell phone

indiebird

I was thinking Strictly Come Dancing myself... although it did look like a nice fat stripe of the glitter glue Julia loves so much.

indiebird

Ruth2003

Sorry to barge in on the conversation like this but I would like to share an update with you and ask a crucial question while I'm at it.

I don't know if you recall my story but I was having a really hard time with my 6 year old, Alex 3 at his state school. After many trials and tribulations and weeks of getting absolutely nowhere, I managed to find him a place i na Private Italian school. Although this is a catholic school ran by nuns, it does have an impeccable reputation and we were extremely lucky to find a place for him, due to a cancellation, as they have huge waiting lists.

So I sighed a sigh of relief. Not for long mind ya!
After a couple of days I started getting regular notes from the teacher saying that he refused to participate in the school activities, wouldnt do as he was told and was constantly disrupting the class.
This went on for a couple of weeks until I wrote back asking the teacher, since he didnt behave like that at home, what she was planning to do to resolve the situation. Didnt get a reply.

So today we had our one to one meeting with her. To be honest, she had me literally in tears. It felt like she was talking about another child. Apparently, he is rude to them, laughs at them whenever he gets told off, disrupts his classmates during the lesson and, this was the worst for me, goes wandering off on his own. she said that, at one point, they had to search the school as they couldnt find him. This totally freaked me out. I mean what if they do lose him??

Im at my wits end. He has never behaved like this before and nor does he behave like that at home. I noticed some of you saying that sometimes our kids are accused of being disruptive. Is that part of the normal adjustment period. Most of all, how can I make sure he's safe?

Oh well, the saga does indeed go on!

indiebird

Ruth, You barge in whenever you feel like it! That's the whole point of threads like these. I was wondering about you a couple of weeks ago and hoped that things had improved for you and for your son but sadly it seems not. Your son's behaviour sounds very much like my son's behaviour at school. We've been here for two years now. Did your son have any experience of UK school prior to moving here? My son did and had a lot of friends etc. My son does stay in the classroom but he does what he likes. He won't work unless he feels like it and then he will laugh in the teacher's faces and show them no respect. He also tells me a completely different story to that which the teachers tell me and he would never get away with treating us like that, I can tell you!!

I don't really know what to suggest to you. I have finally, with the help of a friend who speaks better italian than me (thank you 37100!! ) got an appointment to see the school psychologist. The first appointment is for next week, so I will keep you posted on how it goes. What suggestions did the teachers give you for ways to resolve this for yourself? I must admit that for the first year we kept telling then that he needed time to learn the language and adjust, but now we see that there is something wrong and he (and us) needs some help. I do wish you luck Ruth as it is a nightmare. Maybe ask the teachers about a psychologist or if you have friends ask them if they might be able to recommend someone for you. It might also make the teachers more able to understand that he is having problems adjusting and you are trying to address these problems. Big hugs though to both of youxxxx

TestaRossa

Er, no....They have very white wimples though....

TestaRossa

Ruth, Indie is right to ask how long he has been in school here. My daughter who is completely British doesn't know any different as she has been here since she was 2 1/2 - if anything I would say she is a star pupil! Certainly the impression I am given! The teachers love that she is bi-lingual and get her to help with English, she is nearly 6. She is also at a Catholic school, hence the nun comment, and they do also have psychologists they can refer you to or help you find - we had major problems as I mention in an earlier post with an adopted Ukrainian boy. I'll be honest, if this boy was English I would still think him a total pain because of his behaviour, so maybe boys do find it harder. There are other non-Italian kids in her class and only the boys have problems - but then some of the Italian boys are monsters too, but they can at least understand fully what is expected, not that that seems to matter to them, and also express themselves clearly. I had a friend from the US whose son came over here when he was 5 or 6 - he had been in nursery in the US and came here with no Italian and no friends - his behaviour was appalling! I had to keep him away from my daughter initially as he had a habit of just chucking toys at the kids!! He settled better at school but still had his moments! His big sister was kept down in his class while her Italian improved and that helped a little I think! So, you can either hope he settles once he makes friends and his Italian improves or you can get help. My daughter is very vocal when she has trouble at school, my son (at school in the UK) less so and always has been. So it's also possible the kids are being verbally mean to him and he isn't telling you. My daughter was called " bimba straniera" by some of the boys initially and she knew enough to know this wasn't a complilment! If he is getting stuff like this - and he probably is unfortunately, he won't be happy as he'll think they don't like him, when really they don't know him!

Ruth2003

Yes Indie and I never had a world of complaint then. He was in year 2, as he is only 6 and it was all going so well. Like with you, he is an extremely well behaved child at home, as hes always been. I dont know if a psychologist is the answer. As it stands, I am ridden with guilt because he was happy at the school in the UK, I just dont know what to do or think. I do really hope it all works out for you and your boy and that you get the support you deserve!

Keep us posted!

Ruth2003

There is a ver valid point Testa Rossa. We have been in Italy for 2 months and hes been in this school for only two weeks. According to the teachers he is the one who bullies the others or rather distracts them during class time! He is trying very hard to understand and learn Italian so Im not sure if he understands what the others are saying to him.
Im not sure anymore as I never had that sort of comment about his behaviour back in England. We had a long chat about the dos and donts at school but I am in shock with it all as he had 2 years and a bit at school back in England without once being put on time out and suddenly, within two weeks hes supposedly turned into a little monster