Joel has had no problems. He loved it from the start. His teacher is amazing. He is still our strong willed stubborn boy but at least in school he reins it in. I went to his teacher conference a few weeks ago and his teacher went on and on about what a calm gentle soul he is! I had to laugh because lately he's been anything but calm and gentle at home.
Norah had a rough first month. She hated it. Didn't want to go in the mornings. She would beg me to homeschool her but I kept her in. We typically play for about an hour most mornings with her friend Hannah down the street. When it was time to go to school she would happily leave Hannah's house with the promise to play later that afternoon when she got home. So the fact that she stopped playing with her friend and then happily went to school made me keep her in. And she would come home all smiles. Around the first week in October they introduced stations in her classroom. During reading time the teacher pulls groups of kids and helps them with reading while the rest of the class rotates between different stations. NORAH LOVES THIS!!!! I'm glad I kept her in. Her teacher said it took 19 days to teach the kids how to be independent enough for the stations to run smoothly. Kindergarten teachers must have tons of patience! Friday is poetry day where they highlight their sight words in the poem then color the picture. She couldn't wait to go to school this morning. She comes home and spends hours and hours recreating what she does at the stations. She plays school all afternoon and practices her handwriting and letter sounds. I've volunteered in her classroom during station time, helping the kids mainly at the stamping station so they don't ruin the stamps! ha! But its fun for me to see what exactly happens during the class time. Norah is still the most popular girl I think because each day I walk her in past the three kindergarten busses and they all start waving and calling out to Norah. And now I've started getting huge hugs and high fives and waves from all the kids. Its really fun. I also volunteer each week in the library so that's been fun.
Colin has adjusted I think to middle school. Right now he's in the midst of trying out for the basketball team. Close to 100 kids try out for 12 spots so the competition is rough. So he is hopeful but also optimistic. He joined Young Life and the fact that he sets his alarm early every Tuesday to get to school by 7am is amazing. He loves it. There are close to 200 kids that go! He is doing well in his classes.... but we are entering the world of girls and peer pressure and all that. Middle school is rough. Navigating your kids through it is rough. His mother isn't ready for any of this! But he did ask our neighbor Tanner on the bus (Tanner is in 8th grade) about a situation and Tanner said I don't know - go ask your mom. So Tanner, who was already a favorite of mine, has become even more favorable in my eyes!
I wish I could keep my babies little longer. This year sending them back to school has been harder for me I think because I don't have any babies at home anymore. But I do enjoy this stage where we are at with the kids. And I'm sure in a few years looking back at this stage I'm going to think how young they once were.
