First Grade!!

I remember someone telling me last year that it gets better letting your first born go back to school.  Kindergarten just about did me in.  I was pregnant and highly emotional due to the growing George fetus.  This may have attributed to the tears and nearly fainting when we dropped her off last year.  This year was just peachy.  No tears, just excitement for Sadie to be back in school. She was getting a little bored toward the end of the summer so school was a welcoming new venture. 

I love Texas schools.  A lot of people don't like that they have our kids for a full day and that they have a more extensive curriculum than others but I think it's great!!  Sadie has no problem getting her "play" on when she gets home from school. I think it's wonderful that she is learning so much.  If it were just a half day I know she would be bored.  Sadie reminds me of her cousin Richie who always had to be doing something.  This is why school is so great for her because being Sadie's personal assistant at home this summer was getting pretty old.  I couldn't come up with enough fun things to do.  After making marshmallow shooters, play dough, swimming, coloring, reading and who knows what else, this Mom was beyond ready for Mrs. Henry to take over. 

We met Mrs. Henry a week before school and we absolutely love her.  She seems to recognize Sadie's talents and stretches her to be a better person every day. When school first started Sadie came home saying that she was bored because everything was too easy.  This concerned me because I want her to be challenged.  After telling me that Kindergarten was harder than first grade I knew we had a problem.  My parent/teacher conference with Mrs. Henry was awesome.  She assured me that Sadie will be challenged and that she recognizes that she is a very bright little girl.  The first couple of weeks were the "testing" weeks to assess which students needed what kind of curriculum.  A few weeks later and we are finally feeling like Sadie is back on the ball. 

She is a whiz at spelling!!  And her reading is exceptional too.  I am so proud of our little lady.  She has already made a lot of new friends in her class and I am happy knowing her little mind is growing and that she is also having a lot of fun.  Yesterday I asked her if she had fun at school while we were driving home.  She enthusiastically replied "Ya!  Why not?" 

I lied about the no tears thing.  I did cry when we ran into Mrs. Tharp at the meet and greet your teacher day.  We thought we'd swing by and say hello after a long summer and watching her hug Sadie made me all misty.  Especially when she showed how she had put the books Sadie gave her on display in her classroom.  She opened one and I forgot that we had put a picture of our little family in there.  It made me all weepy that she remembered Sadie so well and all the emotions of leaving my baby with this wonderful stranger last year came flooding back.  I don't think we will ever find another teacher like Mrs. Tharp ever again.  Sadie was so lucky to be under her care last year.  Hopefully we'll have the same things to say about Mrs. Henry.  From the looks of things, we probably will.