Moving is hard but I could not be more proud of these kids for working their butts off in school. They came home with their report cards and both mostly received Straight As except for Bode’s A- in flute (a minor miracle because he couldn’t even make a sound the first several weeks).
Things come more easily and naturally to him but he is a hard worker. That’s his talent: to put his heart and soul into everything he does. His teacher recognized this in her comments: “Bode is such a great kid who has a love for learning. He’s so fun to have in class and he’s always striving to do his best.”
Hadley got straight As except for a B in math. Some parents might be sad about that but for years, all I’ve wanted is for her to be at grade level and for years (and lots of tutoring) she has fallen short.
To put this in perspective, at the beginning of sixth grade I had her tested for learning disabilities and now she’s almost got straight As. I still feel like the public school education is geared to linear learners like Bode and not visual-spatial, experiential kids like Hadley so in some sense, she might always struggle. But she’s figuring out how to make it work for her. Never once have I had to remind her to do her homework, a huge departure from elementary school.
Two of the people who were instrumental in getting Hadley on the right path were her teachers last year. I sent them this note at the beginning of this school year:
Mr. Lewis and Mrs. McLean,
With the new school year upon you, I have to thank you for last year. My daughter Hadley came to sixth grade at Vanderhoof struggling in school and doubting her academic capabilities. By year’s end, she was a completely different person, thanks in large part to both of you. She fell in love with learning and most importantly, came to realize that she is good and smart enough.We moved to the Park City-area over the summer and she has delved head-first into her new middle school, joining both the science club and taking a journalism elective to write for the school’s newspaper. Neither of these things ever would have happened had she not had such rock star teachers in sixth grade.Thank you for opening the doors to her future. Sixth grade is a year we’ll never forget.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 