We survived first grade.
Was it easy? No. From having spent the summer beating back learning atrophy to a constant struggle with incorporating a school routine over the past 36 weeks, we finally made it across the finish line! Second grade is coming up [so is life skills summer Pt. 2] but...let me share how this revolution around the academic sun shook out for us.
Beyond the required advances she made in all areas (I won't share with what I expect in the classroom from Caeli, but she knows - I have yet to understand why some of y'all post their grades. Are you admitting to your own struggles as you foist your student's successes upon the rest of us?): Anything less than her best is unacceptable as I absolutely refuse to raise my only child to be someone's form of entertainment or to not critically think for herself, rewards and consequences alike.
In the meantime, she was September's character kid. Her word: empathy.
Caeli had a lot of fun away from the classroom in spite of that darn reading logbook that she struggled with remembering to document what she read as her weekly assignment. However, she is genuinely a math and science fanatic which presents a unique challenge in my asking lead on questions about what she has learned each particular day. I guess it's a byproduct of being an educator for that season before she was even thought of to ask open questions instead of directing her to a specific response. Those afternoon rides home have become a lot more interesting than the ones from kindergarten but I still have to have a decently charged phone for those days she gives me the one-word answers.
How was first grade fun? See the sports pictures littered throughout the post in addition to her little buddy (and the subject of so many discussions) Tiko.
As far as I know, the little guy is doing well in Bismarck with his new family. We miss Tiko - he turned a year old on the 16th - but we became too involved with all sorts of things and activities to give him the proper love and attention he needed.
Coach Gru and the Minions (Bat Intentions) in tournament form
Another fun part about this school year is the expansion of her social circle with what has seemed to be tons of birthday party invitations plus her own. Although hers was a bit awkward in the post-Covid world, she got the handle of it as we found ourselves at pool parties, park playdates, a pizza party, and of course, up and down the street on bikes, feet, in snow, and any other way Little Miss Sunshine was allowed to traverse. In short, my baby was growing up becoming more independent every single day.
Girl power: Caeli (in pink), Emily (in teal), and Samone (in blue) slide downhill on a snow day
One thing I've always been is a heck of a storyteller. Me as a basketball coach, not so much. We wanted the Lady Hornets to learn the game not be ready for AAU out the gate unlike a few of the teams we played against. Again, she had fun and earned this medal for her efforts on the hardwood. Like the great NBA forward Rasheed Wallace once stated, "both teams played hard." Advanced metrics such as player usage were clearly nonexistent in this league and often, she was happy to be out there.
Where would the school year be without spring break?
This time, the few days out of school presented a trip southwest to the (mostly) inclusive Great Wolf Lodge of Grapevine. I say mostly because food wasn't included in our bill nor some of the activities such as the treasure hunts throughout the campus; as a result, chain restaurants (and Buc-ees) got a lot of our money that week. You just could not beat an indoor water park at a time when the outdoor weather was less than cooperative. Arkansas played amazingly well during the NCAA Tournament and yes, I called the Hogs in the pizza line after they beat Gonzaga.
But back to the fam. In addition to new memories and another friend from our travels, we got to see another part of the world as we knocked off another state on Caeli's "I've been everywhere" board. In seven years of life, she's covered the entire South except North Carolina - and the Outer Banks could be on the agenda. It took me 42 years to hit almost all of SEC country (still haven't seen Kentucky, but that will be for the Corvette museum one day); travel indeed is one of the greatest things I've been able to provide for them.
As tastes have changed and clothes and toys outgrown, the constant has been Caeli becoming more independent along with the ever-expanding social circle not limited to the boys and girls on her softball and basketball teams, the ones in our neighborhood, classmates, and anywhere else playdates occur. Our girl genius, catcher extraordinare, the best swimmer on our house, and too many superlatives to list has been on a wild ride this year from the mandatory masks in August to only donning them to places where face coverings are required such as church and doctor's appointments.
Thanks to Miss Horton, Mrs. Edwards, and the rest of the Collegeville Elementary staff for guiding her through the second year of public school education and for enjoying the excitement that she brings daily. Chaperoning her first field trip was incredibly fun for all of us as were Boosterthon, Field Day, and yes, even being allowed to reenter the building to eat lunch with our angel.
We made it through another school year, Little Bear. Let's keep the party going through the summer and beyond.
