Example one: We had Amelia's parent-teacher conference a few weeks ago and her teacher could not say enough great things about her. She told us that she is a caring, compassionate friend who is always doing her best to help those in the class who are upset or angry. She rubs backs, sings songs, and offers advice to her friends. She has exploded on her reading and has already learned 40 of the 58 sight words that are TAUGHT in kindergarten. Her teacher called her "eager to learn"! And Mrs. H has NO concerns about her starting kindergarten in a few months, even though she will be one of the youngest in her class! In fact, she told us that we will need to make sure she is being challenged enough once she gets there.
Example two: I took Amelia to her Kindergarten Assessment at her new school a few weeks ago. It is a process they use mostly to make sure that the child is ready for kindergarten and not grossly behind. They ask them to write their name, state their phone number and address, identify shapes, colors, and body parts (including palm!) among other things. When the teacher brought Amelia back, she said she did a great job. Amelia told me later that the teacher asked her to read some words on a page and when Amelia did, the teacher said, "Wow! I have some kids in my class now that can't read those words yet and you already know them!".
Example three: Much to my despair, the house REALLY needed to be cleaned yesterday--like the works. Vacuuming, dusting, windows, bathrooms, sheets changed, and on and on and on. I was unsure how I was going to accomplish this task with two little ones under foot (especially since one HAS to be in the room with me and is terrified by the vacuum). But, I mentioned to Amelia that I would need to spend the majority of the AM cleaning and she said she would help. She stripped her own bed, picked out her new sheets and Henry's sheets, picked up endless toys in both her and Henry's room, and dusted everything she could reach in her room, Henry's room, and our room (including baseboards!). It was incredible! I was mostly surprised because she actually did just as good of a job as I would have. And since I only use a damp microfiber cloth to dust, there was no fear of getting chemicals on her hands or clothes. Amelia has a lot of responsibilities around the house already, but I will definitely be adding dusting to the list!
And look! I was able to pick up a couple of jumpers for kindergarten next year at the Uniform Sale yesterday. Much to my surprise, she was THRILLED with the attire despite its lack of girliness, shininess, and pinkness. In fact, she said, "I'm NEVER going to take this off!". I didn't have the heart to tell her that will be her school attire for the next 9 years or so.....
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