Do You Remember the Feeling?

SCHOOL IS OVER

School is over,
Oh, what fun!
Lessons finished,
Play begun.
Who'll run fastest,
You or I?
Who'll laugh loudest?
Let us try!

By Kate Greenaway


Madelyn copied this poem into her journal on the last day of school. In it's few simple lines, doesn't it capture the joy and freedom of summer for a child? Having finished my tenth year of homeschooling on Thursday, I still feel a bit of that freedom. We celebrated the first official day of summer vacation with homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast yesterday, and they turned out so delicious looking that I had to take a picture of them. :-) They were very yummy!

Gwen's School, Madelyn's School

Recently I've felt so much better about Gwen being at school. She is happy to go these days, which makes a huge difference. Her teacher had told me that it usually takes a couple of months in the case of immersion into another language for the child to adjust. Not that she knows Chinese yet, but she knows the routine of the days and feels comfortable with how the school day goes.

I've been making a point to pick her up early here and there, rather than have her ride home in the school van, not only so I can have a bit more time with her, but also so I can see the climate of the classroom at different points during the day. I have to say I am incredibly impressed. It is always a peaceful scene, with small groups of children working with a teacher on something- art, looking at books, working with Montessori materials (various special puzzles, math manipulatives, etc); or playing together in twos and threes; or participating in a group music or dance lesson. The children are taught to eat properly with a knife and fork, to clear their places, and to help wipe the dishes. They all brush their teeth after lunch. :-)

Gwen's teacher writes me a note every day, telling some details of what was presented and how Gwen reacted, how she did at lunch and play, etc. Yesterday she told me of a little interaction where Gwen told her, in Chinese, that another little girl did not like the snack. I was so excited to hear this! I know she has been understanding more and more of the things the teachers say, and she often sings Chinese songs or repeats words to me, but this is the first time she initiated conversation in Chinese.

Madelyn and I are having pretty full school days at home. We read a lot for history and love that time together... this was so much trickier last year with Gwen at home. I have struggled with guilt about having Gwen in school, but as the year progresses and I see both of the girls thriving in their very different environments, I am thankful for the options we have in teaching our children.

Math in Motion

Madelyn has been doing a lot of jump roping to practice skip-counting in the past week. I love these expressions!

More First Days of School

Caleb and Seth humored me last Monday by posing at our gate before they made the two minute walk to school on the first day. Don't you love their fresh haircuts (ha,ha!)? Madelyn created a little desk for herself on our first day of homeschooling, at the end table in the living room.

Since then, we've often moved our school space out to the table on our little deck. It's been unusally cool for this time of year in Shanghai, making it pleasant to work outside.

Getting On the Bus

Zao shang hao! Good morning!

The van stops right at the gate outside our house. There is an ayi on the bus who greets Gwen every day, helps her into the van, and makes sure she gets buckled in.
All buckled in and ready to go! Gwen is the first on her van in the morning... next stop is around the corner in our compound, where her two friends Sophie and Chloe live.
Have a great day, Gwen!

End of the First Week

I installed this little clothesline in Gwen's room to display her school projects and papers.

Gwen finished her first week of school today. She said to me a couple of mornings this week that it was a "long time" until I came to pick her up at the end of the day. This tore at my heart strings, because I also feel like 9-3 is a long time for a first school experience. I plan to pick her up early here and there, but felt it was important for her to get the first week under her belt first.

By today her slight hesitation of the last couple days had escalated to full blown tears when we arrived at the school room door. The teacher first sent one of Gwen's friends over to encourage her to come in, to no avail. I reassured and reassured, but finally Laoshi Sharon, the head teacher, who is lovely, came over and got her from me. Gwen went to her and I was able to walk away, but not without second guessing myself for having her in school at all.

After school I met her for the two of us to ride the "bus" (van) home together. She could start taking this van both to and from school next week. She had been so excited to do this, especially because two of her friends from our neighborhood who are in her class ride it also. All the children were seated and buckled in first, then the moms who were there were given a place to sit. I wasn't right next to Gwen, and although she was between her two friends, my distance (I was right in front of her) seemed to set her off. Suddenly the seatbelt was all wrong, she wanted to be on my lap, etc. Quickly her behavior turned into a tantrum, complete with screaming and kicking the seat in front of her. I tried in vain to talk softly and hold her hand to settle her for the 6 minute ride home. By the time we walked in our door, she was inconsolable and I was thoroughly embarassed. We dealt with the whole scene in the privacy of her bedroom, she perked up, had a snack, and all was well.

After dinner tonight she pretended to be Laoshi Sharon. She motioned for Madelyn and I to sit crosslegged, with our hands on our knees, while she opened a book to read to us. She held it up to show us the pictures, and began "reading" in complete nonsense words. I guess that's how storytime in Chinese sounds to her so far! However, she has been able to sing some Chinese songs this week, and repeat phrases in Chinese that Seth understood and she seemed to know the general meaning of.

Tonight at bedtime she was thanking Jesus for her school, and asking when she could go again. Sigh. It seems that school may be an emotional rollercoaster for both of us, at least for a little while!

Gwen's 1st Day

"Welcome Everyone!"
This sign is on the door of her classroom. I didn't read it myself, in case you wondered. :-)
This backpack, which she picked out Friday after preschool orientation, was a really big deal to Gwen. Her first backpack... somehow it made everything official. We had several items to take to school the first day- toothbrush and toothpaste, change of clothes, inside shoes to keep at school, and an updated info sheet for the office. Gwen checked and rechecked her backpack over the weekend to make sure everything was in its place. I arrived a few minutes early at pick-up time so I could take some pictures. (I brought my camera this morning, but didn't have the memory card in it, so I couldn't take any pictures.) I found the class at circle time... I couldn't understand a thing as the whole day is conducted in Mandarin, but Gwen seemed to be following Laoshi (teacher) Sharon.

Sharon told me after class that Gwen had done really well, for her first time in school. There were no tears to start the day, which was a good sign, but I did hold my breath every time my phone rang, wondering if they would be saying she was falling apart. I was so thankful for the good report!

Notice the all the Chinese characters on the wall. Gwen's classroom!
One of her favorite activities at orientation last week was manning this little store.
I wondered what Gwen's reaction to hearing Mandarin all day would be... I expected her to tell me that she couldn't understand anything, or something along those lines. She said nothing of the sort. She produced a page from her backpack that she had done at school- it was a character that they had traced and learned today... she matter of factly named the character (I don't remember how to say it, but the picture was of a sunshine). Later today she repeated some Chinese words to me and just said, "Chinese people say this." I'm sure it will take quite a while for full understanding to come, but I expect she will learn much more quickly than I would!

She was exhausted tonight and was asleep within moments of me leaving her room. Praying for another good day tomorrow!

Return

Scott left just a moment ago, at 11:50 pm, to go pick up Caleb from school, where he and the rest of the eighth grade will be returning to from the airport after their trip to Yangshuo. Seth's group returned late this afternoon, and he was full of stories.

His favorite activities were repelling, from quite a high cliff, and kayaking.

He made new friends, and admitted that Ernest, the boy he roomed with who bothers him by singing softly during math class, is really an okay guy.

He related to me the details of the funny skits the teachers did for them at night around the campfire.

He taught me the little tongue twister chant that one of the ChinaClimb leaders taught the kids... I told him he must remember it to tell his own children when they someday ask him at bedtime to tell them a story about when he was a kid.

He learned how to stick his thumb through his ear from someone who's name may have been Nick, and he taught several kids his own levitating trick.

He ate a lot of Chinese food. He told me he didn't have any vegetables the whole time, but he did have a lot of fruit, especially oranges. There were orange groves within view of the place they stayed.

His face is a little pink from the sun, but not bad considering he forgot to wear any sunscreen, and he was happy to brush his teeth tonight when I suggested it, because he realized he hadn't brushed them the whole time he was away.

He made the catch on the Leap of Faith activity, which involves climbing a vertical ladder about 25 feet up to a tiny round platform where he had to stand and then leap off to catch a hanging trapeze. The kids were in a harness for this activity, by the way!

He was very happy to get into his own bed.

I am anxious to hear Caleb's stories!

Trips

I just got off the phone with Caleb. He is in Yangshuo, in the Guangxi province, on his eighth grade class trip all this week. He was tired, as they arrived quite late last night and had a full day today, but he wanted to tell me about the events of the day. (This makes me Really Happy, that he chose to call me to tell me these things!) Today they biked among the karsts that this area is known for... karsts are strange and beautiful limestone rock formations (I have seen these on our "Big Bird In China" dvd). They also spent some time at the Yangshuo Cooking School today, where they learned to make and then ate a number of Chinese dishes. This evening they hung out at the ChinaClimb headquarters (ChinaClimb organizes the trip for the school) where they participated in a workshop on juggling and had fun on the bouldering wall. Tomorrow is kyaking and watching cormorant fishing, among other things. Caleb still had to write in his journal about the day... they are required to keep a journal throughout the trip that they will use as the basis for some extensive writing projects when they return.

I am so thrilled that he has the opportunity to go on this trip and see another part of China, quite different from where we are in Shanghai. Seth leaves for his three day fifth grade trip tomorrow morning...

First Day Photos

7 a.m.~ Seth and Caleb, with lunch cards in place around their necks, are ready to head out the door to the bus!
4:30 p.m.~ The boys are home after the first day, decompressing... seems like it went well, they had lots to tell about! Can you tell Seth was pleased with his first ever school day?!
Caleb exploring his new laptop... from 7th grade on, all Concordia students have personal laptops that they will use for most of their classes. One day down, 179 to go!

Growing Pains

Seth and Caleb are starting school tomorrow. We just left their bedroom, after laying out clothes, discussing what time they should leave our apartment to go to the bus stop, reviewing locker combinations, finding lunch cards, a devotion and bedtime prayers.


As I went up the ladder on the bunkbed to say goodnight to Seth, I was hit with an unexpected wave of emotion. Having been homeschooled up until now, Seth has never been gone from me at school all day. I think he is going to do just fine with this. He is a very easy going person, he has a smile for everyone, he loves to learn. But he and I had a great year together last year, and I am really going to miss him. I told him this, and cried a little.


I'm so happy for him, and Caleb too, to get to go to this international school. But being away at school all day is one more step away from home, and sometimes that makes me a little sad. I suppose we might at some point homeschool the boys again, but it's also quite likely that we won't. They are off to do and learn on their own, without me. That's very good, I know it is. But I'll miss my boys.

It's all part of growing up... for me, too.

Orientation

Today was orientation at Concordia, the school Caleb and Seth will be attending this year. They got their schedules, played getting to know you games with other new students, took math placement tests, and toured the building. We bought uniform shirts and lunch cards, and had ID pictures taken. I met teachers and turned in medical forms. At the end of the day the boys participated in a basketball clinic put on by the Mt. Vernon Knights high school basketball team. It was a good day.

I didn't realize how good a day it was until Seth, who as yet has not attended traditional school, told me tonight how much he liked Concordia. When I asked him what he liked about it, he said, "Everything."

I'm so pleased that his first impressions and his attitude are so good. Wednesday is the first day of school... hopefully things will stay so positive!