School through the Boys' Eyes

School.  That word alone contains many nuances of meaning to it (depending upon one's perspective). As a kid I did not mind school (actually looked forward to its start every fall) but did enjoy any days off we had.  As an adult I have really enjoyed teaching. School has been one of the rhythms of our lives since we were in kindergarten.  (The fall that I stayed home with Isaac instead of going back to teaching was a hard one for me since it was the first time in 25 years that school had not been part of my fall routine.)  Seeing it through the boys' eyes today is very refreshing for us. It is fun seeing how the world is opening up for Isaac as he learns new things at school.  

Frustration with the letter "s"

Isaac still LOVES going to school each day.  He loves packing his bag and bringing home his papers. When he gets home each day, he pulls out his work and "reads" as much of it as he can. He is not the most verbal about volunteering information about his day so Paul makes it a daily habit to ask him questions.  One question he always asks is, "Did you or anyone get into trouble today?"  One day when Paul asked him if he got into any trouble, Isaac paused and immediately said back, "Did Mrs. Petro say something?" The teacher in both of us paused and then started pushing to see what he did.  I guess he did not do anything, but he had us worried for a minute. He loves learning Spanish and likes to share his newfound Spanish knowledge with us. He is starting to read sight words and loves that; we are very excited for him to be able to read the words in all the books he loves looking through now.  He is amazing with his memory verse each week and has gotten a "no helps" grade each time. He actually likes doing homework though he has informed us (in his first homework meltdown) that he wishes his name does not have an "s" in it since that one is so hard.  He is a bit of a perfectionist and does not like when his teacher marks his letters with the correct way to write them.

Dad helping with writing homework

Caleb also looks forward to school days for a different reason.  He gets to play with everything by himself and asks each day what we are going to make that day. He is turning into quite the baker and cracks an egg better than I do. This past week he helped me bake blueberry muffins and a cake that looks like a watermelon. He is very busy these days and still breathes football and baseball. When Isaac is not home to play with him, Caleb just plays the game by himself. His newest invention has been his football tee that he created using one of his crocs. I admire his enthusiasm and zest for sports. (This morning in church when I sat down next to him after playing bass, he leaned over with a big smile to tell me that the Vikings are playing the Bears today.)

Lightning McQueen football tee