Tough day

Leo had a tough day today. When I got to school to pick him up there was a big note on his cubby asking me to talk to one of his teachers. The class was out back enjoying outdoor time in the nice weather, and when I saw Leo he came over and told me he had had a bad day.

Then his teacher came over and as Leo pedaled away on a bike, she told me about his day. He had arrived late as his mother had told them Leo had a doctor's appointment this morning. (It was actually a visit she had with the boys to our Parent Coordinator, but that's another story.) It was morning outdoor time, still a little chilly, and Leo had been dropped off at school without any gloves in his cubby. He wanted to wear a pair of the school's gloves as he told them he thought his hands were going to get cold outside.

After playtime the teachers thought Leo was acting unsure of things and kind of nervous. He did not want to sit still during circle time, and got upset when his teacher asked him to settle himself. He was finally able to get through circle, but when it ended he got mad as he wanted his teacher to answer a question - this is now one of Leo's favorite expressions when he wants something, he first tells you he wants to ask you a question. But since his teacher was busy with another student, Leo needed to wait a moment. Leo then began screaming his teacher's name - she told him she would be happy to listen to him as soon as he was able to calm himself down and ask her in a soft voice. Leo instead screamed even louder and lunged at the teacher with both of his hands.

She took him to the cozy corner (a quiet spot with soft pillows) and he sat there for about 20 minutes while they served lunch. Leo eventually asked to join everyone at the lunch table, but by then most of the children were finishing up and so Leo got upset again that he didn't get to eat with everyone else, and then he started screaming for other food. One of the afternoon teachers came in and took Leo back to the cozy corner and sat with him for 20 minutes until it was teacher's choice - Leo joined the group and enjoyed the pre-nap story. At naptime Leo started resting quietly, but then got very upset again when he wanted his teacher's company but she was busy settling another child. He was asked to please wait a few minutes, but instead he started screaming. The afternoon teacher then took him to the jumping room for the remainder of naptime.

Then, later in the afternoon, before outdoor time, Leo tried to bite his teacher when she told him that he needed to wait ten more minutes before it was time to go outside. So he was back in the cozy corner until playtime.

When I arrived, he seemed to be okay and was glad to see me. His teacher told me that she thought he might be acting out as she knows Wednesdays are transition days between his mother and father and that he really wanted to see his daddy. That may be part of it, but I think by arriving late his entire daily schedule got messed up and he was never able to fully recover from his first outburst. I also don't know what happened at the Parent Coordinator visit this morning - all Leo would tell me was that he played with some toys there. I have my first meeting with the Parent Coordinator next week, so I'll ask her about Leo's visit.