School for the boys
Well, it's December. And...the boys started school on September 1st. I'm way behind. Here's the update in a nutshell.
The first week was tough for Luke and mom. First grade is a big change from Kindergarten. His close friend, Liam, who had been in school with him since Luke started preschool, was for the first time, not in his class. There is no playtime in first grade like there is in Kindergarten, and the learning is intense, including homework nightly. In fact, a few days after school started, I asked Luke if he had talked to anyone in his class that day (old friends or new) and he said, "No, we can't talk to anyone. All we do is work." !!! Well, after a few weeks, he settled in and adjusted to the new routine. His teacher, Miss Quade, is right out of college at St. Cloud State and is AMAZING, absolutely amazing. He loves her and Paul and I love her. At conferences she referred to Luke as introverted. It blew my mind. I had taken the Myers Briggs personality test about once a year at Target Corporation and so Paul and I often discussed where we fell on the extrovert/introvert spectrum, and, based on that, what things gave us energy and what things drained our energy. But not once in my 6 1/2 years as a mom had I ever thought of it in terms of my own children. At least not until Luke's wonderful teacher mentioned that he is introverted. I went home and googled 'introverted children' and I was blown away. I had been trying to parent Luke from my extroverted world, and would become frustrated or upset with him when he acted in a way that I didn't understand (avoiding the birthday parties of his closest friends, hiding behind the couch when he'd have friends over to play after school, feeling overwhelmed when he'd walk into a chaotic crowd of kids, having little interest in trying community ed sports like football, basketball, etc). I could talk about this topic for hours, but I can only say, I am beyond grateful to his teacher for recognizing what I must have been too close to see. It has helped me understand Luke and be a better parent in many ways.
On a lighter note with Luke, there is another Luke in his class (Luke Scott) as well as a Lukas. So they go by Luke H., Luke S., and Lukas. Talk about confusing! Especially Luke S. and Lukas. Paul told Luke he might have to start going by a nickname. Paul said, "They are going to have to start calling Luke Ernie. :)
As for Ben, he loves school. After a day or two of stating he didn't want to go, he was suddenly begging to leave early with Luke and have Paul bring him so he didn't have to wait for me to bring him. The one time I did bring him, he said, "Mom, right when I get to school I want you to leave." I asked Why? He responded,
Because I like it so much." What a relief. I love some of the things his teacher, Miss Trisha, said about him at his first conference last month:
*He can stay very focused. He did great on many of the tests because he can focus and because he isn't anxious about getting the answers right or wrong.
*He's just so easy-going.
*HE LOVES TO LAUGH (this is mom's favorite).
*He really enjoys his friends
*He loves to play outside
Here are some first day of school pictures.
The first week was tough for Luke and mom. First grade is a big change from Kindergarten. His close friend, Liam, who had been in school with him since Luke started preschool, was for the first time, not in his class. There is no playtime in first grade like there is in Kindergarten, and the learning is intense, including homework nightly. In fact, a few days after school started, I asked Luke if he had talked to anyone in his class that day (old friends or new) and he said, "No, we can't talk to anyone. All we do is work." !!! Well, after a few weeks, he settled in and adjusted to the new routine. His teacher, Miss Quade, is right out of college at St. Cloud State and is AMAZING, absolutely amazing. He loves her and Paul and I love her. At conferences she referred to Luke as introverted. It blew my mind. I had taken the Myers Briggs personality test about once a year at Target Corporation and so Paul and I often discussed where we fell on the extrovert/introvert spectrum, and, based on that, what things gave us energy and what things drained our energy. But not once in my 6 1/2 years as a mom had I ever thought of it in terms of my own children. At least not until Luke's wonderful teacher mentioned that he is introverted. I went home and googled 'introverted children' and I was blown away. I had been trying to parent Luke from my extroverted world, and would become frustrated or upset with him when he acted in a way that I didn't understand (avoiding the birthday parties of his closest friends, hiding behind the couch when he'd have friends over to play after school, feeling overwhelmed when he'd walk into a chaotic crowd of kids, having little interest in trying community ed sports like football, basketball, etc). I could talk about this topic for hours, but I can only say, I am beyond grateful to his teacher for recognizing what I must have been too close to see. It has helped me understand Luke and be a better parent in many ways.
On a lighter note with Luke, there is another Luke in his class (Luke Scott) as well as a Lukas. So they go by Luke H., Luke S., and Lukas. Talk about confusing! Especially Luke S. and Lukas. Paul told Luke he might have to start going by a nickname. Paul said, "They are going to have to start calling Luke Ernie. :)
As for Ben, he loves school. After a day or two of stating he didn't want to go, he was suddenly begging to leave early with Luke and have Paul bring him so he didn't have to wait for me to bring him. The one time I did bring him, he said, "Mom, right when I get to school I want you to leave." I asked Why? He responded,
Because I like it so much." What a relief. I love some of the things his teacher, Miss Trisha, said about him at his first conference last month:
*He can stay very focused. He did great on many of the tests because he can focus and because he isn't anxious about getting the answers right or wrong.
*He's just so easy-going.
*HE LOVES TO LAUGH (this is mom's favorite).
*He really enjoys his friends
*He loves to play outside
Here are some first day of school pictures.
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