Adjusting from Home School to tradiational Public School

I am a horrible blogger. Lately I haven't taken a whole of pictures and therefore am not motivated to blog. I think about it a lot though. I wanted to just record how I am feeling with the enitire schooling switch.

It was a really hard decision for me to make to send the kids to school. I was mostly afraid of what they would be exposed to. We are super protective parents. But, in the end after much prayer I decided that it was the right thing for the kiddos at this time. Our school is oh so super fabulous! It is a K-8 school, which at first I was really apprehensive about. The grades are kept really seperate though and because the middle is there on campus my kids get the benefit of the middle school teachers. They have what are called "specials" in the aftertoons. So, once a week they have art class, music class, and P.E. class with the middle school teachers. Then they have library once a week and one day with no specials. They LOVE specials and get to do really fun stuff that most of the elementary schools are starting to cut. The middle school is really small. Only 120 kids in 7th and 8th grade. I volunteer fridays for the "Spirit Store" (I sell school t-shirts and pencils and such) So, I spend lunch with every grade through out the lunch period and I have been so impressed with the kids. Because there aren't very many middle schoolers it seems to be such a less stressful enviroment to me than when I went to middle school. The kids are polite and friendly.

My kiddos love their classes and teachers. It's like they were hand picked for their needs.

Bear's teachers is a lovely lady who has great control over her class and is very disciplined. The first couple of weeks Bear would come home every day and tell me he was in big trouble. It was an adjustment for him to not talk to his friends and to just be attentive and quiet. He is doing much better now. He did come home one day and tell me he got in really big trouble because he beat up another kid. After giggling to myself I questioned him extensively. A little boy had come up to him told him he didn't like him, that he didn't want Bear to come to his school and then slapped Bear in the face. Bear then punched him the stomach. Bear had his recess taken away. When I spoke with his teacher about it, she told me the boy was a mean boy and that Bear is always kind to his classmates. She said she felt like she had to discipline Bear as well for hitting. I was totally okay with that. I pretty much let it go with Bear. I want him to stand up for himself but I didn't want to tell him it was okay that he hit. He is about a head taller than all the other kids in his class so its funny to me that a kid would pick him to mess with. Dumb kid!!!! (When I told my mom about it her her response was, "I hope Bear hit him hard!" He has full day kindergarten. 8:05 to 3:05. It's a long day for him and he comes home exhausted. He is really starting to enjoy it though. He has his best friend from church in his school class and they are two peas in a pod. Bear is a super sweet, kind boy. His teacher told me she figured out that we call him Bear because he is such a big TEDDY BEAR. That's not really where it came from but it's true. A little girl in his class decided Bear was her best friend the first day of school. Bear didn't really know what to think about that. She is such a super cute girl though and is so nice to Bear and always wants to sit with him, so he thinks she is pretty nice. Just not good to play super heroes with.

I was concerned in the beginning with Savannah's teacher. She has been a 5th grade teacher in the past and this is her first year doing first grade. I don't think it was by choice. She didn't want to let me come in and volunteer in the classroom at first. I'm just going in for the first time next week. I think she just need to adjust to the younger grade and get herself all set up. When I enrolled Savannah in school I requested that she repeat 1st grade. It's not actually even a repeat considering we didn't finish the first grade curriculm in our home schooling. But, her age would put her in 2nd grade, barely though. Anyways, they told me no, that she would have to go to 2nd grade. I had to turn in to determined mother and advocate for my child. After much effort and debate on my part and me signing a document saying it was my decision to retain her, they placed her in a first grade class. Best decision ever!!!! She is thriving. She gets reading help every day for 30 minutes and speech once a week. She will probably graduate from speech soon, she is progressing like crazy. As far as academics, she is right on track and is feeling so confident and smart. I am so thankful that I listened to my mother's intuition and the answers to my prayers and fought for what I thought was right for my child. She LOVES school! She wakes up happy and so excited to go. (unless she didn't get enough sleep, she tends to be a little grumpy, she need her beauty sleep) She is super popular of course. Everyone loves her hair and she is always the center of attention. Her teacher just emailed me this morning to tell me how proud she is of her. She said she has great confidence, that she always raises her hand to participate and answer questions. Yay Savannah! Great relief for a worried mother!

Gracie's teacher is very young. Like mid-twenties. She is a dancer. So super cute. She wears lots of make up normally including some sort of glitter and super cute clothes. Sooo perfect for my Gracie. Gracie is so bright and learning comes easy for her. I would say school has probably been the biggest adjustment for her. Maybe because she is the oldest and was homeschooled the longsest??? She gets frustrated if something doesn't come quickly to her and she has to actually learn something. She has had to learn to compromise with friends and not always get her way. She has crushes on boys. SHHHHH! don't tell Dwight! A few boys have told her they like her. Duh, she's fabulous in every way! She refuses to play the girls chasing the boys game. Thank you my child. She will only play with girls who don't chase the boys. She and her friends spend recess looking for lady bugs and building them homes or on the swings. She is very aware the choices people make and likes to have friends who are like her. She makes me sooo proud. Her goodness astounds me continually. Her teacher recently sent me an email to tell me how kind Gracie is. She said that she is always thoughtful and kind to all of her classmates. Even classmates who are sometimes hard to get along with.

So, overall things have been fairly great at the public school. I volunteer in the classrooms once a week and do the Spirit Store during lunch on Fridays. On Thursdays, when I help in the classrooms I go pick up happy meals and come back and eat lunch with my kiddos. They each have lunch seperate so I'm able to sit and eat with each of them. They still love me and aren't embaressed of me yet. So their friends come sit with us and tell me all the happenings. When I see their friends around campus they say "Hi Bear's mom, or Gracie's mom, or Savannah's mom" I love being a part of their school experience. I feel very involved in their education. I email back and forth with their teachers regularly. I'm sure more than any other parents. I'm sure sometimes I am a bother. :) But, they have been great about letting me know what's going on and how my kids are doing. So, I think the adjustment has probably been hardest on me. But, I am really starting to enjoy them going to school. I even let them take the bus this week, which they love and makes it sooo easy for me. My house is clean, my errands run, I go to the gym 6 days a week and Gunnar and I have lots of snuggle book time. School is good for us.