Start of the school year reflection

The kids started school 2 weeks ago ---  it has been such a bumpy ride! so far.  We have had more downs than ups - or at least that is what I hear from teachers.

Colleen is doing great!  She is loving 1st grade and is having fun with reading and math.  I hope this keeps up.

Daniel is struggling - no academically but behaviorally and socially.  He is doing great with his tests, homework, and class work but the rest is just plain awful.  We have been in school 10 days so far and he has 2 reds, 6 yellows, and 2 greens.  One more red and he is in detention - not good for third grade.  He is working his way to be the classroom trouble maker.  Part of me wonders if something is chemically off and this is causing the behavior, part of me thinks he is being picked on (since some of the things are very nit-picky), part of me thinks that he is trying to push the envelope to be paid attention to, and part of me thinks he is just not challenged at his school and he is done with his work and this is how he acts when he is bored.  We have a doctor's appointment set for Wednesday to see if it is #1.  A big part of me hopes that this is what is going on since then it may be easier to fix than the others.

Patrick is hit or miss --- he is sitting with his best buddy and they talk which gets him trouble.  School work wise is is doing OK - his big problem is his need to do things as quickly as possible and this leads to mistakes.  His writing is also very very sloppy and that is causing negative marks on his papers which otherwise should be positive. 

Each kid is having their struggles but they are also enjoying being back in school.  I think that they enjoy the interacting with friends and learning new things. 

My school year goals are:
1) Daily  pray a Rosary for the kids
2) Get myself up and running so we are not getting to school at the first bell
3) REMEMBER to Praise the good of the day before focusing on the negative

My favorite photo from the first day of school
 August 23, 2010