Carter wrapped up school on Wednesday. It was a weird week--off Monday for the first official Juneteenth holiday, in school all day Tuesday (which was partly spent doing an ice cream social), and a half day Wednesday. Sort of ending with a whimper, I suppose, but I guess the end of the year is always a little funky. He brought all of his papers and supplies home last Friday, so clearly not much was getting done anyway.
I always get a little wistful this time of year, because the last couple weeks of school were always so full of anticipation and a welcome change of pace when I was younger. In grade school I have fond memories of outdoor activities, field trips, and classroom cleanup. It felt like such an accomplishment to check our textbooks back in--we were always assigned books in the first few days of school, each of them numbered, and needed to turn them back in at the end of the year. It was a long series of the teacher calling our names and numbers for each book we had, which sounds boring, but at least it wasn't school work and it signified that we were done! I always felt a little funny about the books we didn't finish, mind you, but it felt like tangible evidence that we had done something all year. Then we'd clean out our desks and scrub the tops with shaving cream--enjoying a fun art opportunity in the process. The room would smell so clean and fresh! And the feeling of walking out of school, report card in hand on that last half day? Priceless. Off to summers of mindless TV, reading, and bike riding. High school was a little less exciting--still some turning in of textbooks with a side of Regents exam review. But the vibe was usually a bit more chill as the days ticked down, and there was the anticipation of all the lasts of the year, leading up to Moving Up Day and yearbooks. And don't even get me started on college, the most intense of all. The rush of exams and finals, the relative freedom of no classes (but of course there was a lot of studying to do in their place), the slow but sure pack-up and farewell to all of your friends for the summer (because cell phones weren't a thing yet and email and Instant Messenger only did so much), and then the feeling of complete freedom...until summer employment started, anyway. Regardless, watching the boys wrap up the year brings back a lot of memories, but my elementary memories are especially sweet.
As usual, on Wednesday morning we took the traditional picture...
Yes, that is a sad face. He was truly crushed by the end of the year. This was the first year he enjoyed school, and he hated to see it end. He loved his teacher, he loved learning, and he will miss it all over the summer. Previously the end of the year was a relief. The structure of school was hard and his teacher frustrated him. We got a tiny preview of life with medicine last June when he had a few days on a low dose that seemed to make a difference, but even with that, the end of school meant that he could finally relax and I know he was so relieved.
He gained a little confidence when his voluntary online summer school felt easy and he was able to focus, and then he started the actual school year off so well. He adored his teacher from the first day, had a good buddy in his class, and learning became so much easier. He breezed through reading, felt much more comfortable with math, and even managed to get better at writing (although that still needs work--but still such a difference). His report cards were nearly perfect all year--no behavior issues, and solid ratings in his subjects. He had an amazing year, and I don't blame him for being sad.
I think we're both a little nervous about next year. I have full confidence that he can do it, but what if his teacher isn't a good match? What if his experience transports him right back to the trauma of his second grade struggles? I hope that won't be the case. I'm guessing he might end up with Jacob's 4th grade teacher (that seems to be a trend with siblings), which will be a bit more of a discipline challenge for him but could also be fine because even Jacob liked her for the most part, but maybe his third grade teacher had a better one in mind. It's just hard to know what will be the best fit, but I truly hope it's a good one regardless. I think he's learned a lot this year that will help him regulate his behavior even if the teacher isn't a great fit, so hopefully one way or another we'll be in good shape.
It was funny because I talked to his friend who was in the same class at the birthday party last week and he didn't think nearly as highly of the teacher as Carter. He and Carter definitely got themselves into trouble in Kindergarten, to the point that when they asked their teacher if they'd be in the same class in first grade, she said a solid, "No!" But I figured this year was much better for both of them. I do think his friend continued to have a few more behavior challenges yet this year but his "meh" review of her surprised me because I figured she just had the patience of a saint for all "interesting" kids...but maybe Carter really was that good!
This summer he'll be going to the after school program's summer program. The price and location were right and it seems like they'll have enough programming to keep it fun. He'll also be doing the online summer school program again, just to prevent summer slide. It's about 90 minutes of work each week. It'll be easier if he can do it at the camp program, but if not we'll make time and maybe incentivize if it feels hard. But I think it will benefit him a lot regardless, and even he felt like it would be helpful. He is in the midst of two whole weeks off right now before camp starts, so I think the break will be enough for him to recharge before it's time to crank his brain up again. Summer school ends in mid-August and camp ends the second to last week in August (and we have very interesting plans for the last week of break!), so he will get some down time then, too. And likely we'll pull him out for a day or two here and there when we can. I'm glad he a got a taste of summers at home like I had as a kid these last two years, but the screen time battle was miserable and I think he needs more structure than I can provide him.
I'm so proud of all his accomplishments this year and hope he not only enjoys his summer, but proves to himself next year that this wasn't a fluke. He's come so far and he takes so much pride in himself and his work now, and I hope it's just the beginning.
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