August 20th, 2012 was our dear sweet Maggie Caroline's first day of Kindergarten!
What a bittersweet day it was. On one hand I knew she was mature and ready for school, but on the other...I would have loved to have kept her in the nest until she was 40. Ha!
Todd and I had been praying and seeking the Lords plan as to where and what Maggie's first year of school would look like. We both had interest and leaning towards a less traditional way of schooling. Todd comes from a home school background and I come from a small town, public school background. We felt confident our local public school wasn't the right fit for her and that we were interested in home school. We also really wanted Maggie to get to have a "classroom" experience. God led us to a perfect fit for our family, and Maggie goes to a University Model school just 10 minutes from home. It is a blend of both a private-Christian school and part time home school. She is at the school 2 days a week, and home with me as her teacher 3 days a week.
What we love most about this type of schooling is that it allows room for our faith to be a major part of all of her time learning. It fosters and encourages time together, strengthens the family bonds and it also allows tons of flexibility in her schedule, learning style and pace. Her school picked the curriculums, sets the pace/lesson plans and performs the standardized testing. These were the tasks that seemed so daunting to me. I was so overwhelmed researching curriculum on my own. I felt lost thinking of exactly what all needed to be learned in Kindergarten and how to pace her to learn it all. I am so thankful that they do all of this administrative work, and I get to do to the fun part of teaching!
She attends a little chapel service once a week at the school, make friends in the classroom and gets to go on field trips to during the year. It truly is the BEST of both worlds (home school and classroom).
We know that Maggie is right where she needs to be, and we have such an overwhelming peace about where she is.
My darling bestie Sarah, loaned me all of her Kinder books from when she had a Kindergartner. We read them with Maggie for the week before school started to get her all geared up and excited about what was coming her way.
We packed her backpack and lunch box the night before!
And Monday morning...our little 5 year old was bright eyed and bushy tailed...and ready to go!
Beautiful Maggie...so big. I love how she accessorized her little uniform with her crazy necklace. A girl after my own heart indeed.
She found her name and area where all her goodies went...
She met her darling, sent from God, teacher...Mrs. Potter.
She is AMAZING. Sweet, warm, bubbly, excited and in love with all 14 of her students. She is the exact replica of what you think a Kindergarten teacher should be. She offers the perfect amount of TLC mixed with expectations to do their best and follow the rules. Her sweet walk with the Lord is evident through the way she manages her classroom and loves on the kiddos. She has so many fun things planned for the year (they have already made Play-doh, and met a fireman just in the first few days). She has been an amazing, patient and encouraging partner in Maggie's Kindergarten experience so far. She truly is an answer to this Mama's prayers.
She looks so little and so big, all at the same time. Her homeroom is so bright, cheery and colorful.
My sweet family...love them SO!
Hard at work, already...as I was leaving the class.
We loved that the first week of school the class focused on learning the Fruit of the Spirit. May the Lord be honored, even thru Kindergarten.
And this was our first "official" home school day! What a treat and blessing that I get to spend this time with my girl and be a part of her learning and discovery of the world. She is an excellent student, so far and is a little sponge. She is soaking up everything and I am amazed at her retention. She was clearly ready for kindergarten.
We are so blessed that Maggie is ours!!! She is such a treasure.
Love to all,
Leah
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