School Days, School Days...

I don't know who is more excited that school is back, Abigail or me. Ha! The kids have been with me at work since March, and, needless to say, we are all glad to get some time apart from each other.

Unfortunately, the first day of school wasn't one of Cooper's days, so the big day was all Abigail's, and it couldn't have been more wonderful.

Abigail's teacher is absolutely wonderful. She has her M.A. in reading and has been teaching for 15 years, and I'm already seeing evidence of her work in Abigail. They are working on vowels right now, and Abigail was so excited to take an insect to class on Friday for her "i" sound. I think she just wanted to prove to me that she is officially a nerdy Hardy instead of taking something like a picture of ice cream that I suggested.

They have a Bible verse to memorize each week, and last week were studying Genesis and what God created each day. She cracked us up when she was telling us about it. "Can you believe He just had to say something and poof, it was there? He didn't even do any magic tricks." Too funny. We start AWANA this week and I'm hoping the memory verse and lesson from that doesn't start to confuse her with what she's working on at school. No matter what, I can't tell you what a relief it is to not worry about the lessons she is learning in between the usual academic lessons. Knowing that her teachers pray for her and with her, and are working with us to raise a loving, kind, Christlike child, is priceless.

Aside from Bible and vowels, they are working on patterns, which is old hat for her so I think she's a bit bored with that, but she'll get over that. I've been trying to get out of her what they are studying for science, but haven't gotten there. We can review the teacher's weekly lesson plans online, so I need to start checking that out and having more targeted questions ready for her.

Overall, she is loving it and hasn't had a complaint. They have chapel once a week and she would probably be happier if they went every day. She says chapel is the "best thing ever in the world". And, after our experience with public school last year, I can't tell you how wonderful it is to hear her singing "I get down, but He lifts me up" when she comes home from school instead of "I shake my booty".

Mr. Cooper got his chance just a day after Abigail, and is enjoying his class as well. We're already hearing a bigger vocabulary from him, and aside from the first day when he was apparantly testing his teacher, we've heard nothing but good reports from her. I can't tell you how much of a relief that is. After the report I got on the first day of school, I was a bit frightened when he didn't dismiss with the rest of his class on the second day of school. I gasped a bit, and said "Oh, no, he must be in the principal's office." Ha! He was just in the bathroom. I'm sure we have plenty of those days ahead of us, but for now he and his teacher and classmates are getting along well.

As for the whole school experience for our family, I can't say enough good things about it. The schedule has been wonderful. Last year was rough on all of us, since we had to be in the car by 7:15 to make it to school on time. This year, there is enough time in the morning for the kids to have baths, breakfast at the kitchen table, they make their beds, Mommy gets a work-out in and still is ready with hair and make-up and out the door by 8 a.m. We're (or maybe just me) routine kind of people, so this school schedule, a new chore chart, and more structure was just what we needed!

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