School Days

It is hard to believe that the girls have already finished their first week of school.  This summer flew by in a whirlwind of activities and emotions.  Hadley is entering 1st grade and Malia is in pre-kindergarten. 

Hadley was very anxious about starting 1st grade.  She is a nervous person to begin with, but I had never seen her so worried about starting school.  She loves school, but she seemed overwhelmed by the idea of being in 1st grade.  I assured her that she would be fine and know lots of kids in her class.  After meeting her teacher and being in class for a few days, she is happy to be back in school and is not worried at all about being a 1st grader.

Malia was excited from the beginning.  She loved the idea of being a "big girl" and being in the same school as Hadley.  Their school has a drop-off line, but as I was working at the school with the PTO each morning I thought I would walk Malia to class each morning her first week.  Monday I walked her and took pictures, but Tuesday she insisted on doing it herself.  She told me "I don't need you Mommy."  It broke my heart and made me extremely proud at the same time.  I watched her walk confidently to her classroom and go in without hesitation or even looking back.  Malia was so excited when I picked her up each day.  She couldn't wait to tell me about her day and was very happy that she got to go back the next day. 

Each morning the students go to the center courtyard for Flag, where they sing the National Anthem and recite the pledge.  Then the student leaders of each class for that day get to go to the front and make an announcement in front of the school.  The students can make whatever announcement they would like.  Malia was class leader Thursday.  I was at the school sorting recycling, so I got to see her make her announcement.  She calmly walked to the microphone and announced that "My name is Malia, and my Daddy is on a long journey on his ship."  Not only was I proud of her, but she was extremely proud of herself. 

I'm so glad that I have two smart girls who enjoy school.  I'm also thankful for such a wonderful school.