Happy New Year!

I wanted to give a quick recap to our last month of 2010. The biggest, most exciting news was finding out that Will was chosen to be Student of the Month for the month of December. Woo hoo!

Student of the Month Dec. 2010

We got to go to an early morning (7:15am) breakfast in honor of the students that had been chosen. Each teacher gets to choose one child each month to receive the award. It was a big deal and Will was so very proud of himself. We found out about it in a letter he brought home from his principal. He had no idea what it said. I had just found it in his folder. I read it and then showed it to him. He, literally, screamed! He was just so darn excited. It was really very sweet!

Will up on stage after having his name announced.

It's not a great picture, but here he is after being called up on stage. Unfortunately, because of a snow day, the breakfast was pushed back a day and Will's teacher, Miss P, was not there that day. She was preparing for her wedding to take place two days later. So, he was given his award by his sub, Mrs. K, who is a retired teacher and well known and liked. He was okay with it. His other teacher, Mrs. K, came up to us afterwards and told us that both her and Miss P. knew Will deserved the award that month. He had worked so hard all quarter and they had both been impressed when he presented his Star Student report to BOTH classes, at the spur of the moment, when the other student was absent. He just rolled with it and presented to 50+ students and did great!

We are so proud. We also found out that Will's all A report card landed him on on the High Honor Roll. His name was even in the local newspaper because of it! Awesome!!!!! Again, he was so proud of himself and what he accomplished.

We've continued with Dr. T and he is doing real well there. She always comments that he is such a hard, self-directed worker. Makes a momma proud!

Race to Nowhere

I would love to see this film. As far as I can tell it is not being viewed anywhere near here, though I suppose I could push for it to be shown somewhere, myself.

Anyway, the link below is to another's comments on the film. Very interesting. I would love to sit in on a discussion of the film and the topics generated by it.

Race to Nowhere

Homeschooling has always been something I have had in the back of my mind. Heck, back when Will was getting ready for Kindergarten and we lived in our old neighborhood it was more like in the forefront of my mind! I wasn't going to send him to the neighborhood school and we seriously contemplated it. Chris would do it in a heartbeat right now. Reading what this guy had to say about the movie made me really think. Really think about the pressure we are putting on our kids.

I laughed when Ben asked me if his grades were good enough to get him into the University of North Carolina. He is in 3rd grade. That should not have even come out of his mouth. It should not even be in his head... but it is. Who put it there? I am sure it must have been us. I am sure over the years as he has talked about being a Tarheel, we have said, "Oh Ben. You have to get really good grades to go to that school. That is a really tough school to get into." I know we have said those things.

Then I think about how we celebrated the heck out of their straight A report cards. Of course, we should celebrate, but how much pressure did we just add to next quarter's report cards. B's are fine. Even C's are fine. I got a lot of B's and C's growing up. Sure I wished I could do better, but I didn't and my parents were always very accepting of my grades.

There was something in the article that really hit home with me. It talked about a boy who was at the screening the author went to who spoke after the viewing. He made a comment about how he would come home from school or sports and his mom would immediately ask him, "Do you have any homework? How did your test go today? What do you need to study?". That is ME! I do that every single day. To me, I am just checking in, planning out the evening in my mind as far as who needs to get what done. But, this kid said it just added to the pressure he was already feeling from school. Is that what I am doing to my boys when I ask that. I sure don't mean to be, but I can see how it would be seen that way.

So, as of today, I vow not to make that the first thing out of my mouth when they get home anymore. Instead I'll offer them a snack or something fun to do. Or just a hug. I am going to consciously watch what I do and say and try to catch myself from adding to the pressure. I am sure I do it in ways I don't even know.