tumbling shy

as much as i welcome the carefree summer months for chaeli where she will be having fun at various camps (no homework or tests), it was sad to see the last day of grade 1 come and go.

for chaeli, she has had a roller coaster of a year. but as she will learn in life, it’s that roller coaster that will create passions, memories and milestones - all adding up to life’s experience. the key, really, to growing.

the roller coaster effect was due to the ups and downs of what i would say was a transitional year for her. as mentioned before, grade one was a whole new world. especially at a more academic environment. but it was well worth it. not just for the end-result, but more due to the journey. she has learned so much - both text-book information and so much more. most importantly, she has learned the value of working hard and putting her effort into doing well. the reminder we set forth to her is that the effort is key. i would MUCH rather take a hard B then an easy A anyday. so when her first two report cards came with mostly B’s and just the odd A’s here and there, we were content. only because we witnessed how hard she worked to learn all these new lessons and concepts.

by the third term, however, it was evident that the hard work was pulling off. she was getting things with much more ease and able to understand the concepts better. and while we were happy, but not surprised, to see all A’s on her 3rd report card, i was, once again, much more delighted with the teacher’s comments.

a grade is just a grade. but the comments gives us a more fuller picture in areas where she has improved. or maybe is still struggling - it’s things we want to know.

she also walked away with two awards, one for ‘caring’ and one for the academic achievement in computer studies (academic awards are given to about 5 students per grade in each subjects).

still, it was an emotional last two weeks as the last day approached us. chaeli had been talking about how she didn’t want the school year to end. she even asked her teachers if she could carry a box of tissues on the final day - claiming she was afraid she would be crying all day long. one of the teachers said that in her 17 years of working in this profession, she has never heard a child say something even close to that. it almost got her choked up.

but the teachers did a great job maintaining a positive energy throughout the last day. the children had a lot of fun as they partied and played.

some of the parents, however, did spill some tears. i was close but was able to hold it in. it’s just hard to say good-bye to not just one great teacher, but two! both home room teachers were just so hard-working, caring and wonderful. the level of team commitment with each other, the school and with us was outstanding. i plan to write a letter to the vice-principal and principal to show my appreciation and to give props to the two teachers. it’s the least i can do.

that pretty much sums up the last day… except one more thing. the latest scoop is that chaeli got back together with her previous boyfriend from earlier in the school year. but they forgot to exchange phone numbers which frankly is fine by me.

i will admit that i’m about to share a very proud moment as a mother.

but it’s not with any conceit. it’s because i usually wonder how much i’m screwing up my own kid.

parenting is hard. period.

every now and then, there are moments that remind me that i’m not doing half bad. that while i’m certainly not perfect nor ever will be, the kid is doing alright.

last night was one of those moments.

just to back-track, chaeli was a bit slow on learning how to read at the level she was suppose to be at. not because she couldn’t do it, but because she was in an environment for JK and SK that didn’t give her a kick-start. which really, wasn’t a problem for doug and i. we were actually trying to allow her a childhood before she was forced to grow up five times faster then normal once she started grade one.

of course, due to a crappy school in our area with no before/after childcare support what-so-ever, we made the leap into enrolling her in a private school… one that was slightly more academic and had her put into a grade two and something three level scenerio.

this caused massive panic attacks for me. i questioned myself day in and day out - was this the right move to make? am i putting too much pressure on her? perhaps i didn’t worry about this daily - but it was on my mind a lot in the first month and a half.

well, last night, she was asking me if she could have some extra time to read that night. not wanting to ever take away the joy of reading, i told her that i would allow her 15-20 minutes before we had to get ready for bed.

and that’s when i discovered that she was 2/3rds into her chapter book. granted, it was ‘captain underpants’ but as i watched her read, i could tell how much she was into it. she was laughing at the funny parts and serious at others. she wasn’t just reading but completely absorbed into the story. so i asked her later, which book she was going to read next. her library shelf has a section where she organized all her chapter books - she showed me the next two she wanted to read with sheer excitement.

i think what made me proud was that she was showing so much enthusiasm. and i know i didn’t get into reading until much later. grade three was probably when i started to enjoy it.

it’s a valuable tool. i’m happy she’s picked it up. reading has been a way for me to gain so much more knowledge. it makes me think about things and the way the world is… the way people are. and of course, the ability to escape… even if just for 15-20 minutes.