I officially feel old (again). Nash is starting 2nd grade this year. If the teacher he had been assigned hadn't done a last minute switch to fifth grade, he'd have the same teacher Samantha had in 2nd grade. Instead, he has Miss Hokanson this year. She's a new teacher at the school this year and I believe she's a first year teacher as well. I really should have more apathy toward first year teachers as a parent...but, I digress.
Nash isn't particularly excited about school - never has been really. Toward the end of the school year last year I started talking to his teacher about the possibility of him being dyslexic. After much reading and consideration, we decided that dyslexia wasn't a good fit. Rather, it seems my boy is ADHD. I know, not particularly uncommon for boys this age. However, it's affecting his attitude about school because he's really struggled with reading and writing. Nash was still writing letters backwards at the end of first grade, regularly, but not the same letters regularly. If you point it out to him, he recognizes it's backward and will fix it. He struggles to pay attention and if he isn't kept close to the teacher he struggles paying attention even more. I've wondered if maybe he is in fact a bit advanced and just bored with what's going on. His strength is numbers - he really likes them and is very good with them. I anticipate he will be tutoring his sister in math before too long. I'm hoping that this year will be a fresh start for my boy and he will find the joy in school that I always have. I'm hoping he will make some new friends easily and that he will see that perhaps school isn't quite so bad after all. Who knows, maybe he'll even learn to enjoy being there!
This year marks the beginning of fourth grade for my baby girl! Where did that time go?! Samantha is very excited about going back to school - she's more like her mother every year. :) She's excited about her teacher and is so ready to be back in the middle of learning. She might deny it when it comes to math, but the girl really does love school and learning new things. Samantha's strength is reading and writing. Numbers do not come easily for her (again, more like her mama). It looks like Samantha will be one of my SEM students again this year. This year she will get to do Images of Greatness (research a person who has made a significant contribution to society, dress up as them and give a presentation). She'll also get to do the research project of choice and learn about productive thinking with the program called Talent's Unlimited. I am excited for my girl because she is excited. I am anxious about her teacher - had an awkward situation with him at the end of the year last year with my SEM students. I told Travis I worry that her teacher, Mr. Torrey, will learn she is one of my SEM kids and become a huge proponent of SEM or learn she is one of my SEM kids and direct his distaste for the program towards her. I'm hoping it's the first scenario and not the second. This year also marks the year that Samantha gets to learn how to play the recorder. She told me today she's not excited about that because she thinks it will be hard. Little does she know I have 2 recorders in my teaching stash as well as a book - looks like she could get a head start if she wanted to! Fourth grade is also the first year she gets to run the Wellsville Mile in May. Travis has no experience with this whatsoever because he grew up on the north end of the district. I, however, understand the importance of this event and will be there to cheer her on the entire mile. I'm just hoping she doesn't want to train all year and beg me to run with her! I don't think my knees could handle that! I could walk though! Perhaps there is a possibility in that one. We shall see.
Caleb will get to start his second year of preschool after Labor Day. He's so excited to go back to preschool. He LOVES Miss Shannon (so do the rest of us actually). I don't think it's dawned on Caleb (even though I've said it more than once) that he gets to go to preschool three days a week this year. That will bring a big smile for sure! We are anxiously awaiting Friday when we get to go to his preschool open house. I'm sure he will be disappointed that I'm not leaving him there for school that day! At back to school night with the big kids last week it dawned on me that next year I will be sending this baby boy to Kindergarten! He's so ready but I am so not! Where has the last ten years gone and how did it go by so quickly? Time never went this fast when I was a kid!
I have started back to work as well. I spent the better part of the entire school day today traveling to three of my four schools trying to figure out which students I will be working with. I'm a bit frustrated as many people have not done their job which makes it nearly impossible for me to do mine. I am hoping this is not a sign of what's to come this school year! The curriculum I'm using is the same as last year but they've thrown in Talent's Unlimited as well. So, even though we've done the curriculum before, there's still something new to learn. I am anxiously planning a big (and by big I mean four school event) parent night for my students. I am hoping to have a good turn out and a lot of positive parents. I guess only time will tell! Happy School Year!
No comments:
Post a Comment