Kindergarten Cinema

I don't remember watching any movies in Kindergarten, but Shane's seen multiple. Some I know, some I don't.

Nanny Mcphee, The BFG, some cat movie with robots I don't know what he's talking about....

I guess it's a good thing I'm stingy with the TV at home, because he gets it anyway. Times have changed.

Some of it's for the better, though. I must have seen Men In Black ten times over finals week while in high school. I don't know if it was the only approved 'hip' movie, or if the teachers were all in on the joke year after year after year...

UPDATE: Shane saw Trolls, Rio, and who knows what else this week. Maybe his teacher is as burned out as I am.

Pink Day!

Shane finally had a pink day! It's all the more amazing since he was red the day before. He said that he did an awesome job answering math questions in class. 

Then, he earned his forms stripe at Taekwando! Last time it took us a couple of months!

To celebrate, Shane got to open his last Easter pack of Pokemon cards in the car after school. Then, Carrie went with us to TKD and we all got pizza afterward.

It was a nice coincidence it happened on my birthday.

Back on Track

Twas a green day! Shane's back on track. You know I prayed for that. If he had two bad days in a row, I would have contacted the teacher.  

New thing: Ryden gave Shane some tattoos. He signed his name, so it made it easy to figure out. They washed out easy. Shane said he and Ryden played Pokemon on the playground together.

Raheem and Henry were both outside when we got home. I don't know who would have been more bummed if Shane had been grounded.

Shane and Henry dug in the dirt and Raheem wanted me to play catch. When Henry went in, Shane joined.

The boys came inside while I cooked mac and cheese. Neither could figure out the password from the computer (Nor was I about to tell).

I thought it was neat how the water boiled on the sides, but there was a still zone in the middle (possibly from the heat of the pan causing the outside to heat faster).

Raheem went home so we could have peace and quiet for dinner. He said he didn't like mac and cheese anyway.

Today was supposed to be the quiet day of the week, but I don't think quiet happens with Shane around. We have fun.

Tough Monday at School

Shane came home with a red circle on his behavior log. When I asked what happened, he said, "I don't remember!"

The assistant teacher replied, "Oh? You don't remember when you got three warnings from talking over the teacher and had to get sent out?"

Suddenly, Shane remembered.

Sounded like my kid.

I told Shane we'd talk when we got home. I didn't let him go outside to play with anyone and he had to entertain himself mainly. I wasn't about to play Pokemon cards with someone who couldn't respect others. 

It turned out to be a good opportunity for a haircut.

Shane's ready for summer.

I found a tick on Shane's back, too. It's in the freezer for the next week or so.

If Shane didn't have baseball, he would have been stuck inside all night and probably gotten himself into more trouble for driving me crazy. I don't like him to get in trouble, but I'm always thankful when it happens on an activity day!

Shane was plenty hyper and led the kids in chasing after geese flying over the field. He talked over the coach a few times and I was able to say, "This is what you need to work on!"

I let Shane know anything less than a green Tuesday would mean no outside and no friends. I told him it's not to be mean, but to teach him to control himself so he can be a good friend and a good student.

Maybe the calmer haircut will help.

Rough Bus?

Carrie texted me Tuesday night. A text had been in limbo. She got a text from Shane's teacher that read:

"Good afternoon, just letting you know that Shane told me a student was pushing his head against the seat and window on the bus this morning. I immediately contacted the assistant principal and she came and spoke with him. He said that he was fine. But I will look to speak with the other student as well."

The text was dated April 13th, two weeks ago. I never heard anything from Shane or the school.

Shane's been fine about getting on the bus, though. He's never hesitated. If anything, he wants to be first. He'll try to cut ahead of Raheem and the new girl, Tay (I make him wait and let whoever was there first, be first). He's always seemed happy to me when I pick him up from CLASS, too. It felt like an isolated and/or resolved incident.

Still, it was something we wanted to check in with Shane on. I asked him some non-leading questions about how school was the next morning. Nothing came up to concern me. He hopped on like it was any other morning and had a big smile when I picked him up from school.

Crap's gonna happen. It's the world we live in. I believe it's how we react to and address those moments that really matters. Things that go hidden too long become big problems. This doesn't feel like one of those to me.

I remember the bus was pretty rough at times when I was a kid. There was a win-loss record kept for fights when I was in 4th and 5th grades. I didn't fight anyone...and that was probably partly me and my convictions and partly that I was friends with two kids who were willing to fight and good at it, Jesse and Brandon.

I know for a fact there are some rougher routes around here. Shane's not on one of them, but I'll keep my ears open for problems in the future.

Starting 4th Quarter Strong!

Shane had a purple day for behavior! He was blue Monday and stepped it up.

"This should be rewarded," I said. "Where do you want to get dinner?"

Christian's pizza!

Shane picked cheese. I grabbed a second slice in case he was ravenous. I grabbed a black bean sauce with avocados, tomatoes, and feta myself (a nod to Carrie who was out of town - If people keep buying it they'll keep making her favorite!).

We went by the library for books and to validate parking. Wonders continued to emerge. Shane sat and read through several Mo Willems books while I browsed the kids book area!

He read quietly to himself, so that he could hear the words and I listened in. He likes to act things out.

Have I mentioned I love libraries?

I started to text back and forth with John McG about book ideas and recommendations. Shane started to flip through a Captain Underpants book I dropped on the table and I kept browsing. When he's a little older I'll feel safe wandering over to the adult books for myself.

Shane's starting to experience more of the joy of reading. I try to ask little questions here and there rather than sit him down and quiz him. A moment is all a lesson requires. (Example: The other day Shane wanted to know what the quest of the day was on Hearthstone. "Read it." "I can't!" "Have you tried?")

I let Shane play on the computer while I checked out. Everything was conveniently placed (almost as if the librarians planned the layout intentionally).

The hardest part was carrying twenty books of various sizes back to the parking garage while Shane lagged behind and tried to examine the sidewalk and stick his head in random bushes.

Was a fun end to the day.

Whoa Busy

School started again Monday. It hit home for me yesterday after church. I thought there was going to be a teacher workday for some reason, but I was wrong. Dead wrong.

Unfortunately, I scheduled Shane's orthodontic consult for 8:30 AM weeks ago when I thought there was no school.

Carrie was going to help, but then she woke me up at 2 AM to tell me she was sick (it's a good thing she didn't drive down to visit Mira!).

I didn't want to reschedule, so I texted my boss. She let me skip the morning planning, so I could take Shane to the appointment.

It was a nice place.

They even had some game consoles. Shane played Streets of Rage.

He had a blast while I tried not to sweat out "How long's this going to take?"

Random: There was a toy called the Perplexus. I want one now. Coolest handheld maze ever.

We arrived early at 8:15 AM to fill out forms. They took us to the back around 8:40ish. Shane was asked to smile for some photographs.

Then he laid down and got to hold mouth guards for some up close and personal teeth pictures.

He did great.

He likes having his picture taken.

The orthodontist had all of the pictures up on a screen when we went back to talk to her.

And she could doodle on the screen with her tablet. Shane and I were both into it!

Bottom line: Shane may have some crowding later. Come back in six months or if there are any shark teeth on the top. The tongue tends to push teeth into position on the bottom if there's a gap, so she wasn't worried about the two extractions we had.

We left a little after 9:00 AM. Shane made it to his school, and I made it to mine. I don't know if the kids even noticed I missed a part of breakfast.

It was a long day. Every teacher, student, and parent in the city probably felt the same way. The break was over and it was time to settle back in.

After work, I ended up here.

The elementary school blew me off, so I've been focused on the high school off season. I love the sport and love the kids. It keeps me busy.

Shane was outside when I picked him up from school at 5:25 PM. He looked like he had fun. I think it hit 80 F today.

6:30 PM it was tee-ball practice again. There were a lot more kids. I don't mean to keep ending up coaching, but it keeps happening. I guess I should get used to it. God wired me the way He wanted to.

I wore shorts. Coach Josh made a crack about it would have been an expensive season for me if I went through a pair of pants each practice. I replied, "So what you're telling me is: No pants."

If I hadn't been surrounded by 4-6 year olds the conservation could have degenerated quickly (I like these guys). Our team name is the Dick's Sporting Goods Team. How's that for a mascot?

Shane had another drama moment when a little girl half his size bumped him and he laid in the grass for five minutes distraught. It was probably a long day for him. He got hit by a ball that bounced out of his glove later and bawled hysterically. I took his glove for him to rest and gave it to a kid who didn't have one and that calmed him down (Go figure).

Overall, he did well. It was a long day for everyone.

We tried to simulate a tee-ball game with kids hitting and then running the bases. We have one more practice Thursday before our first game on Saturday. It's going to be pandemonium.

Hopefully in a fun way! Shane played some video games when we got home before bed. Carrie slept most of the day, but she had to drive down to Mira after all. The vet recommended some medicine she had to buy. That will be a post for when the foal arrives.

Tuesday should slow down some. It'll pick back up again Wednesday and Thursday, but I like to be somewhat busy. I'm glad they won't all be packed like this Monday was.

A Goof Became an Opportunity

Shane came home with red on his behavior chart. He "talked excessively" through the math lesson and over the teacher.

I let him know I was mad. The excuses started and I shut them down. Shane started the "I can't listen/I'm dumb" negative talk and I shut that down, too.

"Don't make it more. Don't make it less. You will do better tomorrow if you want to see electronics again," I said.

And yet, I also saw an opportunity. I told Shane he was lucky he had wrestling. That would give him a chance to see friends and do something even though he was in trouble. THAT gave him a positive attitude! Carrie came out to watch this time, too.

Best practice yet. Shane was more focused than I've seen him. He was still floppity, but on task 85% of the time is fantastic for him. His first wrestling partner was his the boy from his preschool, Matthew, too.

I wasn't happy when Shane ditched Matthew for a sillier partner. I think Shane wanted to wrestle in the middle of the room.

When we got home, Shane had enough time to shower, write an apology, and head to bed a little early.

We told him he needed the extra rest to be focused tomorrow.....and that there'd be hell to pay if he came home with two bad days in a row.

Guess what? He recovered and had a green Wednesday! Carrie let him catch Pokemon with her and watch TV while I was at a wrestling meet. They even ordered pizza without me. 

Popcorn and PJ's Book Night for Homework

"Big" Books we've read with Shane:
Magic Treehouse: Twister on Tuesday (the first)
Magic Treehouse: Earthquake in the Early Morning.
The Hobbit (Daddy abridged)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
Peter Pan (Great Illustrated Classic version)
The BFG (edited out a lot of the child eating details, but not 'human beans')
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Esio Trot
The Magic Finger


Observation: British lit rules.

Didn't plan it that way. The twister book just happened to have a tornado on the cover. That started Shane on chapter books (bigger than Fly Guy). Then, JRR Tolkien and then CS Lewis were my influence. Peter Pan happened to be on a book shelf and Shane likes Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Then Roald Dahl showed up in a collection for Christmas.

Mary Pope Osborne is the only American author on the list, but the kids help Morgan Le Fey (the Librarian) and go to Camelot in the Magic Tree house books. Coincidence? (Those are Arthurian references for the uniformed - Very British).

I did not include audio books in the list. We've certainly listened to a few! (Not much lately, though).

The Routine Starts Anew

Shane got to be on the announcements at school today.

He repeated the whole thing for me including the Pledge of Allegiance. The kid's got a great memory.

Oh, and a small store named Wegmans opened up while we were gone. I wanted to take Carrie out for dinner and a fruit tart.

Note; The place was packed! I felt like we were back in NOVA. I hope it calms down eventually.

End of 1st Quarter Grading

Today we had our first conference with Shane's teacher. Shane's doing great! I continue to be impressed with his teacher, as well. 

I couldn't help but think: How many of my students' parents went to their kindergarten teacher conferences?

First Missed Bus

It's official, we missed the bus. First, and probably not the last time.

Only once in a whole quarter, though. Not too shabby.

Doughnuts with Dad

Shane's school had a special event Wednesday morning. We went in early for breakfast and books. I wasn't sure I wanted to leave so soon, but Shane had no qualms. He woke up extra early.

The Rest of the School Week

Tuesday was the orange dot day. Wednesday, Shane popped up back to yellow. Thursday, Shane jumped all the way to blue!

It must have made him sick to do it.

No, seriously. Shane came home sick on Thursday. He napped on the couch. We weren't sure if he'd be well enough to go on Friday. 

He was. He got his second blue day, too!

Way to finish strong, kid. You got some toughness training in there.

Shane turned in his reading log this week, too. He hasn't been into Prince Caspian as much as he was into The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Shane and I went out to celebrate a good week on Friday. He got a foot long hot dog and ice cream at Jak N' Jill's.

It was a dual-purpose trip. It was Carrie's turn to nap on the couch.

Another week logged in the books! Kindergarten is going great!

Side note: I love it when Shane puts beards on his stick figures.

Drop-Off

Carrie and I decided to let Shane sleep in a little on Friday. I drove him to school. It turned out to be a lot more effort than the bus stop. They wouldn't let the kids into the building until 7:40 AM, so we stood around. I barely had enough time to get home, grab coffee, and scoot to work five minutes late.

Shane will be on the bus next time, so I hope he enjoyed the novelty of it!