Well, Drew's been in school for one marking period now. We've gotten his grades to date and had a conference. We've helped him with nightly homework and heard all about gym and music and art. He's taken the MEAP test. He had a class party. It's been quite a year for him so far and now it's time to talk about it a bit on this blog.
I have to admit, I put off saying anything. At first it was because Drew struggled to find the rhythm of the classroom environment. It was hard for him...harder than I really realized it would be. He went from a very relaxed way of doing things at home to negotiating his way through a constantly changing situation at school. "It's 9:00, time to take out your math book. Get in line, it's time for library. Sit at the computer and take this test. The bell rang, so get off the swingset." Besides that, he had a crash course in organizational skills. Suddenly he was the owner of a big, blue "homework planner" which had to be filled in each day by him and then signed by a parent in the evening. He had to keep track of a desk full of materials. He had to learn to hear and focus on a teacher's instructions despite the distraction of 20 other students. It was all a bit much for an 8 year old guy, and he cried some part of every school day for the first two weeks. I wondered very seriously if we'd made a mistake. The only thing that kept me going was that when Drew wasn't crying, he was having a wonderful time and learning a ton. Also, his teacher was completely in his corner, wanting to help him transition in any way she could. She and I communicated quite a bit in those beginning days.
After that initial period was past, I didn't say anything here on the blog because I was in "wait and see" mode. I watched. Slowly Drew stopped crying and started coming home with proud stories of success. He would tumble into the car all lit up inside over getting a "smart dot" sticker for being the first one to know an answer in math, or being asked to read his journal entry in front of the whole class. He told us of friends made and games played during recess. He talked on and on about a technique called "gesture drawing" that he learned in art. Basically, he started having a good time and finding that he could be really good at this classroom thing.
Finally, a couple weeks ago we met with his teacher for our very first parent/teacher conference ever. I was so nervous! She was wonderful, though. She offered some very constructive ideas, along with telling us the good things she saw in Drew. She said that I had done a good job in homeschooling him, which made me feel pretty darn happy. lol And she told us he's getting all As.
All in all, it's been quite an interesting experience and I'm glad we did it. We'll re-make the decision again next year, but right now Drew's saying he loves it and wants to go back. And maybe Baylee will go, too? I'm not sure. She tells me every day that she'd like to. We'll see. Life's dynamic.
I have to admit, I put off saying anything. At first it was because Drew struggled to find the rhythm of the classroom environment. It was hard for him...harder than I really realized it would be. He went from a very relaxed way of doing things at home to negotiating his way through a constantly changing situation at school. "It's 9:00, time to take out your math book. Get in line, it's time for library. Sit at the computer and take this test. The bell rang, so get off the swingset." Besides that, he had a crash course in organizational skills. Suddenly he was the owner of a big, blue "homework planner" which had to be filled in each day by him and then signed by a parent in the evening. He had to keep track of a desk full of materials. He had to learn to hear and focus on a teacher's instructions despite the distraction of 20 other students. It was all a bit much for an 8 year old guy, and he cried some part of every school day for the first two weeks. I wondered very seriously if we'd made a mistake. The only thing that kept me going was that when Drew wasn't crying, he was having a wonderful time and learning a ton. Also, his teacher was completely in his corner, wanting to help him transition in any way she could. She and I communicated quite a bit in those beginning days.
After that initial period was past, I didn't say anything here on the blog because I was in "wait and see" mode. I watched. Slowly Drew stopped crying and started coming home with proud stories of success. He would tumble into the car all lit up inside over getting a "smart dot" sticker for being the first one to know an answer in math, or being asked to read his journal entry in front of the whole class. He told us of friends made and games played during recess. He talked on and on about a technique called "gesture drawing" that he learned in art. Basically, he started having a good time and finding that he could be really good at this classroom thing.
Finally, a couple weeks ago we met with his teacher for our very first parent/teacher conference ever. I was so nervous! She was wonderful, though. She offered some very constructive ideas, along with telling us the good things she saw in Drew. She said that I had done a good job in homeschooling him, which made me feel pretty darn happy. lol And she told us he's getting all As.
All in all, it's been quite an interesting experience and I'm glad we did it. We'll re-make the decision again next year, but right now Drew's saying he loves it and wants to go back. And maybe Baylee will go, too? I'm not sure. She tells me every day that she'd like to. We'll see. Life's dynamic.
