School Days Update

I cannot believe the kids have been in school for nearly three months already.  Almost as equally unbelievable is that I haven't blogged a single word about it.  I know if I try to capture all that has happened in the last quarter of a year (yeesh) this post will take a sweet forever to write, so I'm going to try to just hit the highlights for each kid.

For Luke, there was definitely a "honeymoon period" for the first week or two.  He enjoyed finally getting to be in the same building as his big sister and loved meeting so many new friends.  Sometime around the end of the second or third week, however, he began asking "Is today a school day?" every morning when I woke him up.  Yes, bless your heart.  Most days are going to be a school day for a long, long time, Bubba.  

He doesn't hate it, he just doesn't love it.  And I can't say I blame him.  Kindergarten is no joke anymore...there are no building blocks, painting projects, or nap times.  It's a lot of work and it's a long day!  The good news is that Audrey wasn't crazy about kindergarten either but grew to love school in first grade, so hopefully he'll be the same way.  

It helps that the school does a phenomenal job of keeping the kindergarteners engaged and interested with the curriculum and programs.  They have already had several STEM projects, in-school field trips with "High-Touch, High-Tech" science programs, career day (where a lifeline helicopter landed on the PE field!), and visits to their school's interactive "career lab".  They've watched the fifth graders put on a play of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and done fun Halloween rotations between the other classes.  They keep them busy learning in fun ways, that's for sure!

His teacher is wonderful and his class has a lot of sweet friends.  There are a few ESL (English as a second language) students in there, and he has taken to a couple of them as a quasi-guardian, which is precious.  I've always said he would have made a fantastic big brother, so I like that he gets to use some of those nurturing and leadership skills in his class.

In his own words, he loves recess and riding the bus home and, as of this morning, his favorite special is "Art.  No, Think Lab.  Maybe both."  

Audrey has settled into third grade well.  The first week was a little tough because her teacher last year was super bubbly whereas this year's teacher is a little more reserved.  When I pointed out that maybe she was more introverted like Audrey is herself, she started to see her through a different lens.  I  challenged her to come up with a couple of good traits her current teacher had instead of just comparing her to former teachers and that helped a lot too.  And let me clarify that I adore her teacher.  She is a wonderful instructor and has a fantastic sense of humor, which I so appreciate.  She was one of the three finalists for the school's teacher of the year, which speaks volumes about her skills and reputation. 

The workload and intensity has increased quite a bit this year.  She has accelerated math every day and Focus (gifted class) twice a week, which means she's changing classes and has multiple teachers...something I didn't do until middle school.  There is at least one test every week and her homework load is heavier.   We're still only spending an average of about 20 minutes every night (not including her 20 minutes of reading because she covers that on her own no problem), but it's one more thing to keep track of and remind her about.  I'm trying to follow some advice their preschool teacher once gave me in this area and create good habits of independence now.  Beginning with third graders, the school requires them to buy an agenda in which they are responsible for writing down assignments, due dates, tests, etc.  Of course my little mini-me enjoys that and stays on top of it.  

Socially she is doing great.  She started the year with a few familiar friends in her class, but it takes her a little more effort and time to make new friends.  Once she was able to break the ice, things definitely got better.

When I asked her this morning about her favorite parts of third grade so far she replied, "Recess, art, technology lab, and writing."  

So that is a fly-by overview of how they're both doing with school.  As for me and my own personal adjustments, well, that's another post for another time.  Hopefully in less than three more months!