Be warned, I am invoking my right as a mother, to brag it up! This post is really just for me.....I want to remember all of my kids accomplishments.....and this blog acts as my own personal journal. One day I hope to have my blog made into a book to that my children can read all about our family and the amazing things they have done in their lives. So, you really don't have to read any further......especially if you're offended by "bragging" parents. :)
Isabelle just finished an amazing science project for school. She chose to do an experiment with flowers (of course). She tested different water solutions to see which one would preserve cut flowers the longest. She worked really hard on her project and did a great job! However, I was personally very relieved to see it all go off to school last week--finally completed and over with. Little did I know that this was not going to be the end of it.......Just look at what she brought home the next day!
She won 1st place in the science fair, and the "honorable mention" award. Looks like her project is going on to compete at the district level now. Way to go Belle! We are very proud of you. (You know you've had enough science when your 3-year old starts informing you that she has a "hypothesis" about everything!)
We are also very proud of Isaac--he was chosen as "Student of the Month" last month. His teacher told me at parent-teacher conferences that she chose Isaac for this award for two reasons: 1st, he has gone out of his way to befriend a little boy in his class who has struggled making friends and was feeling lonely and left out. She said that she intercepted a note from Isaac to this little boy that was the sweetest thing she had ever read. And 2nd, Isaac had the courage to stand up to some other boys who were being crude and telling bad jokes. Isaac's teacher was so impressed with this, that she was emotional just telling me about it. Way to go Ike! We sure love you. Thank you for being a good example.
And let's not forget Johnny......our "Super-Smart" little man! This is my child that taught himself how to read before kindergarten. When I asked him where he learned how to read, he replied, "I kept asking you to teach me how to read mom......but you were too busy. So, I taught myself!" Nice mom huh? He did tell me later that Isaac helped him sound out the really hard words. This is also the same child that decided age 6 was a good age to start learning times tables.....go figure!
Anyway, at mid-year in December, Johnny showed mastery of the 2nd grade curriculum in pretty much every subject--with his reading abilities well beyond that. And, for being a 1st grader, that is pretty impressive! His teacher has recommended that we have him skip 2nd grade next year and just go straight into 3rd. Johnny's kindergarten teacher made this same suggestion last year (to have him skip 1st grade), but we had a few reservations about the whole idea. Sure he's smart enough, but what about all the social and emotional aspects? I remember how the 'smarties' who skipped grades got made fun of when I was a kid. And do I really want him hanging out with kids older than him? Don't kids grow up fast enough these days? And what about high school, when he has to wait until his senior year to drive and date? And what if he wants to play sports? He will always be the youngest and probably smallest kid.........the concerns go on and on.
But, we are proud of Johnny and his love for learning! He doesn't know that anything is hard, so he just does it! His 'super' self-confidence really allows him to defy any and all boundaries.
