School is out. Summer has begun. Smiles abound.
Thursday, the next to last day, was rough. I have always suspected that not a lot of learning went on during the last week of school. That suspicion is confirmed. Grades were turned in and report cards had been printed and there were still several days left. Teachers filled the time with movies and extra recesses and “walking field trips” to the local library and playground. Out of their normal routines and with vacation stretching ahead, the kids were pretty much bananas. Loudly bananas. I had one last kindergardener poop his pants in the bathroom by me, parents were in and out all day and things were happily chaotic. By the time I left, I was exhausted. I was totally dreading the last day, but Faith saved me.
She woke up at 4:30 on Friday morning with a fever and hacking cough. I fussed over her and got her back to sleep and crawled back into my own bed with an enormous smile on my face. Rich had a meeting with his CIO and couldn’t possibly take the day off so I had to. Summer started a day early. It was like Christmas-in-late-May.
After his meeting, Rich came home and sat with Faith and I went to Hayden’s 5th grade commencement ceremony. It was a simple affair, which I appreciated. It annoys me that 5th and 8th grade “graduations” have become such a big deal. Completing 5th and 8th grades are pretty much life’s minimum requirements. Do we need to throw parties for completing the minimum? I don’t think so. At our school, the principal gave some nice thoughts and each of the students offered “words of wisdom” and got a certificate and a cookie.
Most of the “words of wisdom” were sweet or smart, but some were amusing. They went something like this:
“In my 11 years of living, one thing I have learned is . . .
don’t worry about what others think of you.
eat nutritious food.
wear shoes or you’ll get cuts on your feet.
love your parents as much as you can because you don’t know how long they’ll be around.
Time is precious; don’t waste yours or anyone else’s.
get good grades so you can make a lot of money.
don’t wear flip-flops to gym.”
Hayden’s words of wisdom were: “Advice I have figured out from my 11 years of living: Do not look at the glass as half full or half empty. Instead, strike out and fill it.”
We’re looking forward to him starting middle school in the fall. He outgrew the elementary environment about six months ago and it’s been a rough hoe ever since. I’m hoping that middle school will be more challenging and that the process of changing classes every hour will help with his restlessness. I also think that the fact that no single teacher will have him for more than an hour a day will be beneficial for everyone. We can hope anyway!
One thing that will be huge for him is that he qualifies for a mentor. He was classified as “highly gifted” by the school district this year which means that for an hour a day, in place of regular class time, he receives one on one instruction from a mentor who can lead him above and beyond the standard curriculum. Hayden’s mentor will be in science which is good because he gets super frustrated and bored in that class because he has so many questions that he wants to get further into and the teacher just doesn’t have the time. Unfortunately, when Hayden is frustrated and bored, everyone suffers so this should be a good solution.
Thursday, the next to last day, was rough. I have always suspected that not a lot of learning went on during the last week of school. That suspicion is confirmed. Grades were turned in and report cards had been printed and there were still several days left. Teachers filled the time with movies and extra recesses and “walking field trips” to the local library and playground. Out of their normal routines and with vacation stretching ahead, the kids were pretty much bananas. Loudly bananas. I had one last kindergardener poop his pants in the bathroom by me, parents were in and out all day and things were happily chaotic. By the time I left, I was exhausted. I was totally dreading the last day, but Faith saved me.
She woke up at 4:30 on Friday morning with a fever and hacking cough. I fussed over her and got her back to sleep and crawled back into my own bed with an enormous smile on my face. Rich had a meeting with his CIO and couldn’t possibly take the day off so I had to. Summer started a day early. It was like Christmas-in-late-May.
After his meeting, Rich came home and sat with Faith and I went to Hayden’s 5th grade commencement ceremony. It was a simple affair, which I appreciated. It annoys me that 5th and 8th grade “graduations” have become such a big deal. Completing 5th and 8th grades are pretty much life’s minimum requirements. Do we need to throw parties for completing the minimum? I don’t think so. At our school, the principal gave some nice thoughts and each of the students offered “words of wisdom” and got a certificate and a cookie.
Most of the “words of wisdom” were sweet or smart, but some were amusing. They went something like this:
“In my 11 years of living, one thing I have learned is . . .
don’t worry about what others think of you.
eat nutritious food.
wear shoes or you’ll get cuts on your feet.
love your parents as much as you can because you don’t know how long they’ll be around.
Time is precious; don’t waste yours or anyone else’s.
get good grades so you can make a lot of money.
don’t wear flip-flops to gym.”
Hayden’s words of wisdom were: “Advice I have figured out from my 11 years of living: Do not look at the glass as half full or half empty. Instead, strike out and fill it.”
We’re looking forward to him starting middle school in the fall. He outgrew the elementary environment about six months ago and it’s been a rough hoe ever since. I’m hoping that middle school will be more challenging and that the process of changing classes every hour will help with his restlessness. I also think that the fact that no single teacher will have him for more than an hour a day will be beneficial for everyone. We can hope anyway!
One thing that will be huge for him is that he qualifies for a mentor. He was classified as “highly gifted” by the school district this year which means that for an hour a day, in place of regular class time, he receives one on one instruction from a mentor who can lead him above and beyond the standard curriculum. Hayden’s mentor will be in science which is good because he gets super frustrated and bored in that class because he has so many questions that he wants to get further into and the teacher just doesn’t have the time. Unfortunately, when Hayden is frustrated and bored, everyone suffers so this should be a good solution.
Final Pooping Bandit update
: The Bandit wins. He was never caught. There were no more poop filled toilet paper dispensers in the last week or two so the trail grew cold. Hopefully the Bandit is a kid who is moving on this summer so we don’t have to revisit the matter in the fall.
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