Last Day of Pre-Pre School

Hamp went to school this year, be it only 3 days a week.   We enrolled him in the 3 year old class at First Baptist Church Preschool.  He loved it!  

We weren't sure how he was going to adjust but he was a pro!  Hamp has speech problems that make it hard for you to understand what he is trying to say.   It can be frustrating for him but he as learned to cope with making you understand what he is saying.   He started speech therapy going once a week.   As the school year went on, he started talking more and more.  The amazing thing was that you could understand what he was saying!  

Between his speech therapist, Ms. Jennifer and his 3 year old teacher, Mrs. Karen,  Hamp has become a chatter box!  Ms. Jennifer would give Hamp homework that we worked on at home and Mrs. Karen also worked on them at school.  All of this has made it easier to understand most of what he says now.  He has become more adventurous in trying more complex words and sentences.  From this we have found a little Einstein!  Hamp constantly tell us his numbers and letters.  Colors are his favorite way to describe everything he sees.

Every week Hamp would come home with new crafts that he had made.  Watching him learning how to write his letters as been fun!  I am amazed at his ability to go from tracing his name to actually being able to write it!  It's so amazing to watch him grow...

We will miss Hamp not being apart of the Pre School at First Baptist next year.  We are excited that he is so well prepared to start Pre-K at Big A Elementary.  We look forward to seeing how far he goes next year!

Hamp getting his hug from Mrs. Karen.

Wordless Wednesday....Grandmoma's Birthday!

We celebrated Grandmoma's 70th Birthday!!

Memorial Day...

Memorial Day is the day to remember the fallen.

This year I not only remember the fallen but two men who came back from war and taught others that war is not all glory.  They taught us that war should not be taken lightly.  They taught us that through the worst of the battles comes great courage and strength...most you never knew you had.

These two men survived some of the worst battles of WWII and taught us that their buddies left behind were the true heroes, not them.  They spent the rest of their lives here on earth telling their stories and those of countless men who never came home.  

These men did this so we would never forget.

I will never forget them...

God Bless You

Jake McNiece and Reed Pelfrey.  

May your first Memorial Day in Heaven be a great day of reunion and peace...

Honors Day Is Not a Good Day At Our House....

We hate Honors Day at our house!

There I said it!  I hate having to look at the eyes of my child when something is said about Honors Day at school.  I melt...  I cry... I stay away from Facebook...

This year my son FINALLY gets something and I don't know about it.  His school gives T-shirts to all the students who receive awards.  When he showed me his award (which was for nothing academic, but not being RAC'd all year--this is a type of disciple system at his school), I asked where his T-shirt was and his words were, "They were all bragging with them."  This meant that he didn't get one and he was upset.

As a teacher I have always had mixed emotions about Honors Days.  Its great to recognize our students but we seem to recognize the same ones over and over.  Yes, they are the ones excelling in the classroom but for them, school is easy.  What about the kids that struggle with everything and still are able to pass and even exceed the state tests!  What about the kids that work harder than those being recognize and get no Honors Day T-shirt?  What about those who have learning disabilities and are still able to not only pass but excess on state tests?  What about those who worked, struggled, cried and worked some more only to be given a pat on the back...  It's not fair.  Only those in the gifted classes seem to be getting the awards...at least in my child's eyes!

We struggle with school every year.  I have a son that struggles with the riggers of school.  The way public school is structured is not the structure that allows my son to excel academically.  Every year we have cried over not being able to understand concepts as quickly as his classmates.  Every year I tell him he has to work twice as hard as his classmates but that he can do it!  Every year we cry together and yell at each other.  Every year his surprises me with how well he pulls off passing his CRCTs!

But no one from his schools have ever recognized him for academic achievements   He's been recognized by his SPED teachers in his IEP meetings but never has he been recognized in front of his classmates.  We have only been to one Honors Day in the eight years he has been in school and he didn't get anything for academic achievement. For his learning disabilities, he is achieving more than we ever thought he would be able to do.

He will never be able to be in the Top 5% of his class...we have come to terms with that.  But can't we recognize him for SOMETHING academic!  Every year when he has to watch his friends get their T-shirts and walk across the stage, I watch him get frustrated.  Every year it gets harder and harder to get him to work to accomplish what his school calls "basic" achievement.  I see him struggling to try to keep a B average.  I watch him every year sink to "why should I work so hard when no one recognizes me" mode.  I work hard every year to pull him up and he does.  But how long can I keep it up?  It saddens me that he kept an 87 average all year and was never recognized for it.

I'm speaking of my child.  There are others in the same boat.  They work hard.  They keep their grades up.  They pass and exceed state tests.  They help their school to get high scores on state school wide grades.  Why aren't they recognized?

I know it seems like I am saying that every student deserves an award.  That's not it.  We seem to have forgotten that every student is special.  Every student has something that is valuable.  It takes every student for a school to get that "A" grade from the state.  Every student is able to make some type of contribution to academic excellence of their school.  For some students you just have to look harder for it.  We put so much on those exceeding we seem to brush aside those that are the "average" student.

Honors Day is not a good day in our house!  We are proud of those who got their Honors Day T-shirts and awards.  You deserved it!  

We just wish you knew how much we deserved it too!

Wordless Wednesday....Our T-Ball Player

Hamp's T-Ball season is over...

Boy did he have fun!

Wordless Wednesday...Daddy's Ride

Look who gave Daddy a ride...

Wordless Wednesday...Do you see me???

Do you see the little friend we found?