Math and Kitty

After a wonderful long weekend with the family, class resumed this morning. Weekends are so much more enjoyable now that my children aren't being shipped off to the public school cookie cutter assembly line, because I no longer have to dread the beginning of the week. I am mommy all the time, the way it should be, instead of having a school system tell me when and/or if I can parent my child between the hours of 9-3.

I apologize. To my readers and to myself. I made this quiet little promise that I wasn't going to be negative about public school. But I've going to have to modify that. I will state my personal feelings about our personal experience from time to time, and much of that has some bitterness involved. I do want to be clear that I am not judging any parent's decision to send their child to public schools. Am I judging the school system in general, though? Yes.

On a lighter and much more fun note, here is Little G and his furry study buddy:

In this photo, G illustrates the only problem I have encountered so far; he wants to do math all. the. time. He would complete that book inside of a week if I let him, I'm fairly certain. We've been using workbooks with the kids for years, and he particularly enjoys the math ones. He burned through the preschool one in less than a week, so we bought him a Kindergarten one. He was through that one in a few days as well, so we bought him a first grade workbook. That one actually lasted a couple of weeks. In the weeks before the start of this academic year, Little G had adopted the math portions of his sister's second grade math workbook and was addicted to Sudoku puzzles. While visiting my grandma several months ago, G asked (and answered) loudly, "What is 1 + 2 + 3 + 4? It's 10!!!" The kid has some sort of little calculator center in his head. It's very cool. And I'm just a little envious.

I asked R today what her favorite subject is. She said Language Arts, Science, and Art. I noticed Math did not make the list. She's very good at it, so I guess that is what counts. I want very much for my children to do well in math, because it will open so many more doors for them. I think R prefers subjects she doesn't have to try at because she doesn't tolerate anything less than perfect from herself. I try to point out that mistakes are part of the learning process, and that taking some calculated risks is critical to getting anywhere in life. But she hesitates, because she just loathes anything she perceives as failure on her part. Sigh. I wish I could get her to lighten up.

But, these being our worst school-related issues, I can't complain. No bullies walk these halls, transportation isn't an issue, and every day is Bring Your Pet to School Day! Still loving it? Yes.