Day #2 - School

With our move to Iowa we had no doubt that Kathryn would be attending public school.  It seemed while we were in North Carolina that we would get "the look" when we dared to say that public school was for us.  How dare us go against what was becoming the norm (homeschooling) and think about putting our child in a public school.  I can say with all confidence that after over a month of being in public school, this was the right decision for us.

Kathryn has a love for going to school.  We (I) were (was) a little concerned after the first Friday and I got an email saying she was having difficulty sitting still and not interrupting during class.  In fact I cried for hours.  Looking back, it wasn't that big of a deal.  Oh and since they line up by last name, she was last.  She didn't like being last.  Over the weekend we  talked to her how the importance of being last and if everyone lined up right, she should be last.  It was her job to make sure everyone was in front of her.  Her job as class caboose was very important.  We also stressed the importance of sitting and listening.  Her guidance class has also helped with that.  We haven't had a problem since.  Unless you count her running into a pole at recess and busting her lip.  A call from the school nurse is better than from the principal I guess.

Kathryn has a love for learning now.  All those months of me trying to get her to practice her letters and she & I ended up in fights, now seems so distant.  She comes home and practices.  In the 5ish weeks they have been practicing handwriting, I have seen an improvement.  And she is using both upper & lower case. She loves that they get a special class each day (art, technology, music, guidance & PE).

She loves her teachers and meeting new friends.  The school sends out constant updates on what is going on. They incorporate technology without it being overwhelming.  They do teach the D'Nealian form of handwriting which based upon a little research must mean they still teach cursive handwriting though I've heard most public schools are going away from that.  I was afraid the new style would be rough to learn since it isn't the typical block form we were teaching (most letters have tails), but she loves it.

The top "Kathryn" was the 3rd day of school.  The bottom was yesterday.

The school uses a positive reinforcement set of guidelines (rules) and the kids catch on quickly.  Kathryn loves to tell us her good behavior that earned her a ticket.

She loves going to school and it gives me time to work with Andrew.  It is a win for all of us!