Big Boy School!
Since Hunter came home in April, we have driven past his elementary school almost every day. It was Marshall's bus stop last year and we visited the office several times in May trying to get Hung registered for kindergarten and make sure he would be evaluated for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) services. In Vietnam, Hung attended a school from 8 am to 5 pm every day and loved it. He did not understand why Marshall went to "big boy school" but he didn't. All summer long, every day, with great expectation I heard - "Momma - Hung, big boy school? Why not, momma? Why?!" He made it very clear he was not so pleased to attend Lily's pre-school at the end of summer. While he enjoyed every minute of it and did very well, he longed for "big boy school."
Well, this week he got his wish. At last! Kindergarten! We met the teacher on Monday and toured the classroom and talked to the new ESOL teachers. On Tuesday morning we waited for almost 20 minutes before Hunter's teacher opened the door to class. While we waited, he pointed to the front of the school and told me "You go, Mom! I big boy!"
Good thing he could not read my thoughts. He is just a little boy who doesn't know the language all that well, who has no friends yet at this school, who doesn't know the routine at this school yet. He can't say his teacher's name (which has the three consonants he struggles with the most!). He doesn't know our home address, phone number and can't yet write his last name. He doesn't know how I longed for him for 22 months, how I pray for his adjustment everyday and worry whether other kids will pick on him at school and how he will fit in.
Hunter, full of big boy bravado, literally almost knocked his new teacher down trying to push past her to be the first one in the door. She held him back to tell the kids to put their things in their cubbies and have a seat at the tables with puzzles. He raced into the room, gave a quick look back and said "Bye, Mom." Big boy school is on!
Marshall too has begun a new educational adventure. Middle school! So far, he seems to be loving it although we had a minor crisis this morning when Marshall thought he had lost his school map. Never mind that I have his schedule written in 3 places or that all of his classes but 1 are in a 6th grade wing within 30 seconds of each other. Marshall is an exceptionally bright student but he is as obsessive about being on time as his mother and does not like being lost. To compound the problem, our school board, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that one day a week, all the kids in the county will have early release and for some reason, the middle school will have rotating periods. But not in order. The schedule for every day of the week is different. I'd be panicked too. I'm glad I am not in middle school. It may be worse than law school!
From our garden
My favorite photo of the month - Lily and our good neighbor waiting for our dock to be completed. (No, Lily was not drinking Pat's beer!)
Well, this week he got his wish. At last! Kindergarten! We met the teacher on Monday and toured the classroom and talked to the new ESOL teachers. On Tuesday morning we waited for almost 20 minutes before Hunter's teacher opened the door to class. While we waited, he pointed to the front of the school and told me "You go, Mom! I big boy!"
Good thing he could not read my thoughts. He is just a little boy who doesn't know the language all that well, who has no friends yet at this school, who doesn't know the routine at this school yet. He can't say his teacher's name (which has the three consonants he struggles with the most!). He doesn't know our home address, phone number and can't yet write his last name. He doesn't know how I longed for him for 22 months, how I pray for his adjustment everyday and worry whether other kids will pick on him at school and how he will fit in.
Hunter, full of big boy bravado, literally almost knocked his new teacher down trying to push past her to be the first one in the door. She held him back to tell the kids to put their things in their cubbies and have a seat at the tables with puzzles. He raced into the room, gave a quick look back and said "Bye, Mom." Big boy school is on!
Marshall too has begun a new educational adventure. Middle school! So far, he seems to be loving it although we had a minor crisis this morning when Marshall thought he had lost his school map. Never mind that I have his schedule written in 3 places or that all of his classes but 1 are in a 6th grade wing within 30 seconds of each other. Marshall is an exceptionally bright student but he is as obsessive about being on time as his mother and does not like being lost. To compound the problem, our school board, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that one day a week, all the kids in the county will have early release and for some reason, the middle school will have rotating periods. But not in order. The schedule for every day of the week is different. I'd be panicked too. I'm glad I am not in middle school. It may be worse than law school!
Sweet Lily was pretty sad the first day without "brother Hunter" at school but her best friend has returned after a long summer absence so she is once again loving going to school.
In other news, at long last - we have a dock!!! 4 years ago when we contemplated buying this house from my brother, I told Jim that I wasn't interested unless we were going to build a dock. Well, 4 years and 2 adoptions later, we finally saved enough to do it and it was completed last week. Of course it has been pouring almost every day since it was completed or our very raucous renting neighbors behind us have decided they need to blast the neighborhood with a combination of sleazy rap, country or bad 70s music. (The house is being bought from the bank and hopefully the hoons are out this week!) So - no photo of our completed dock yet.
Look who God sent to my front door Tuesday afternoon before I had to go pick up the kids! Maybe He thought I was feeling the pangs of an empty nest!
From our garden
My favorite photo of the month - Lily and our good neighbor waiting for our dock to be completed. (No, Lily was not drinking Pat's beer!)
posted by Our Family at
8:15 PM
1 Comments:
Middle school sounds harder than medical school, too! Yikes! Glad I don't have to be a kid anymore!
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