Jonah and School
Today was Jonah's last day of school before winter break. (As he explained to Grammy and Aunt Karen, it wasn't his last day of school, but he knew they thought it was...) So, I figured I'd assess how kindergarten is going.
As I noted to his teacher, when he started in September, he could read, but he didn't write fluently. He could write his name and wrote other words, but it was slow (and involved a lot of backward letters). One day in October, he got a card from his old preschool, and he immediately grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a thank you note without any prompting - the whole thing. (Admittedly, some of the words ended up on top of each other then.) Now, he is writing holiday notes, sometimes even remembering to put his finger between the words so there is a space.
Of course, he has not lost his quirky spark to all of these academics... His holiday cards include pictures that reflect whatever he is thinking about it. One day, he was drawing himself as a ninja. Another day, he drew himself playing Wii with whoever the card was for (even if he had never met that person). Also, his teacher noted in her holiday note to us that Jonah sings in class - and gets songs stuck in her head.
Jonah is also learning to love math (took long enough!). His class is working its way through addition facts (the current theme is "doubles plus one" - like 4+5 or 7+8). At the same time, his class does worksheets that are clearly previewing multiple-digit addition. (That surprised me a little... Apparently first grade math is intense!) At home, he wants to play games on my phone, and math games (the "Math Workout" app on the droid) work for him (though he still needs a little help on that one). He has a workbook we bought a while ago, about money, and he does that for fun. (I know he comes by that tendency honestly.)
I'm also impressed by how much interaction Jonah has with other grades. The two of us were looking through his school newsletter this morning, and he pointed out his "Book Buddy" (a second or third grader who comes to read with him once a week), some other lower schoolers he knows, and an upper-schooler who had helped in his after school science class. (This school is even smaller than Hamden Hall, and has a similar feel. It is the kind of place where the staff has to multi-task - for example, the bus driver also teaches Latin. However, Village is more focused on arts than Hamden Hall seemed to be.)
As I noted to his teacher, when he started in September, he could read, but he didn't write fluently. He could write his name and wrote other words, but it was slow (and involved a lot of backward letters). One day in October, he got a card from his old preschool, and he immediately grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a thank you note without any prompting - the whole thing. (Admittedly, some of the words ended up on top of each other then.) Now, he is writing holiday notes, sometimes even remembering to put his finger between the words so there is a space.
Of course, he has not lost his quirky spark to all of these academics... His holiday cards include pictures that reflect whatever he is thinking about it. One day, he was drawing himself as a ninja. Another day, he drew himself playing Wii with whoever the card was for (even if he had never met that person). Also, his teacher noted in her holiday note to us that Jonah sings in class - and gets songs stuck in her head.
Jonah is also learning to love math (took long enough!). His class is working its way through addition facts (the current theme is "doubles plus one" - like 4+5 or 7+8). At the same time, his class does worksheets that are clearly previewing multiple-digit addition. (That surprised me a little... Apparently first grade math is intense!) At home, he wants to play games on my phone, and math games (the "Math Workout" app on the droid) work for him (though he still needs a little help on that one). He has a workbook we bought a while ago, about money, and he does that for fun. (I know he comes by that tendency honestly.)
I'm also impressed by how much interaction Jonah has with other grades. The two of us were looking through his school newsletter this morning, and he pointed out his "Book Buddy" (a second or third grader who comes to read with him once a week), some other lower schoolers he knows, and an upper-schooler who had helped in his after school science class. (This school is even smaller than Hamden Hall, and has a similar feel. It is the kind of place where the staff has to multi-task - for example, the bus driver also teaches Latin. However, Village is more focused on arts than Hamden Hall seemed to be.)