Yes, it’s official, as of 12:30 yesterday we are on summer break. Josh is a third grader and Hannah a second grader. Oh my, how time has flown with those two. As I sit back and think about where they were last September and where they are now, I am amazed.
Josh has become a super reader (read: fourth grade level), a math whiz (the dude multiplies in his head, I can actually see him grouping numbers in his head) and has matured by leaps and bounds. His complaining is about half what it used to be and I love to see how patient he is with his sisters (most of the time). While he doesn’t have that one good buddy at school, he is a friend to everyone. He is kind to his classmates and seems to be a bit of a conflict resolver. I have actually seen kids come to him looking for advice with a problem. Josh is very proud that he received 6 Beaver Bravos (recognition for doing something good) this year.
Hannah has also excelled in her reading skills this year. It took a little longer for her to get it, but now I find her reading signs to herself and she actually enjoys sitting down with a book, which was not the case even a few months ago. Hannah loves to write. Her penmanship is very neat and girly and her stories are cute and sweet. While she doesn’t necessarily spell all the words correctly, she will sit and write paragraphs using details. Hannah has grown by leaps and bounds when it comes to math. There were things that she just did not get a couple of months ago that she can breeze through now. I think that math will be a tougher subject for Hannah over the years, but she has shown so much more willingness to try. Maturity wise, this girl has grown like crazy. And she is so helpful. You know who bathes Bethany and dresses her? Hannah. And she volunteers, we don’t make her. She’s quite the little helper/mommy at home and at school.
Last day of school party in Josh’s class. Sissy just made herself at home and all the little girls loved to help her do that. I think she had about 10 red vines because they just kept giving them to her.
This is Hannah’s beautiful (as much on the inside as the outside) teacher, Mrs. Anderson. We have had the privilege of having her for kindergarten and first grade. At the end of last year she was asked to move up to first grade after teaching kindergarten for 14 years. She was apprehensive but excited. Let me tell you, she taught first grade like she had ben doing it for years. Last year when I was volunteering in Hannah’s kindergarten class Mrs. Anderson told us that she had a big class and wanted to be sure that each child got individual face to face time with an adult each day. I think that really shows her heart. Every child matters to her. Here’s another cool think about Mrs. Anderson: she’s a published children’s author and illustrator. Her books are Bible based and super cute. Every year for Christmas she gives each of her students one of her books. She gave me permission to share her website on my blog, so go check it out. Honestly, I don’t know what we are going to do without Mrs. Anderson this fall. Only 4 more years until Bethany starts first grade…
Josh and his second grade teacher, Mrs. Hetlser. She has been such a joy, literally. She is always smiling and cheerful. I appreciate how calm she is with a room full of 8 year olds. She always has a song on her lips and will even sing-song to the kids to get their attention. After field day last week, I came to Josh’s class and all the kids were still eating their popsicles. They were eating and talking, excited about the day. There was Mrs. Hetsler standing to the side enjoying her popsicle, humming to herself with a grin on her face. It was clear to me that she was thoroughly enjoying being in that room with all of her kids. Makes my heart smile to remember.
Ah, our favorite bus driver. She was our bus driver last year and we really loved her. We were very disappointed this year when she wasn’t on our route again. But, much to our excitement, when we moved, there she was driving our new bus! She has always been so kind to the kids and always with a smile and a “have a good day!”
Woohoo! Summer is here!
No comments:
Post a Comment