My baby's published!
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Lauren

Lauren's entries in the 3rd Grade Book of Poems published at her school. 

 

Night Forest

by Lauren Dean

 

A tiger prowls in the depths

of the dark

night

forest.

His green eyes flashing

from side

to

side

silently stalking

his prey.

The tiger spots a

thrush

pounces

and kills it with one

swift

bite.

Delicious he thinks

as he

slinks away

into

darkness.

 

 

 

Wolves

by Lauren Dean

 

Cool Furry

Howling, sniffing, licking

noisy

all night

long

Cool Stuff
Mood:  silly
Topic: Lauren

My car has been out of commission for a while and I have been using my MIL’s 1995 Saturn for a week while she was out of town. Riding in the car the other day with Lauren, she piped up from the back seat, “Hey what’s this cool cranky thingy?” Get this!...She meant the window crank! Apparently, that cool cranky thing has followed albums, 8-tracks, and dial telephones into the abyss.

A Nice Surprise
Mood:  happy
Topic: Lauren
As mentioned earlier, we were somewhat disappointed after the testing but then very pleasantly surprised when Lauren came home the other and announced that she is now in a program called Independent Investigations. She then came home today and announced that she is in a book club and something called Extreme Math. It turns out there are various levels to the High Potential program at her new school and while she did not qualify for the highest level, she did qualify for other services! Independent investigations is an enrichment program that allows the kids to investigate an area of interest, develop a report, and present the findings to the classroom. Book Club lets Lauren enjoy reading material at her level instead of the regular classroom level. And Extreme Math is currently getting her ready for algebra. We were getting a bit worried that she would end up in the same situation as her old school (not allowed to work past her grade level), but now we really feel we did the right thing in moving her. Things are looking good

Missed It By That Much
Mood:  sad
Topic: Lauren

Back in Spetember, given that Lauren was reading at a 5-6 grade level and doing math a year above grade, we asked that Lauren be tested for the High Potential program at her new school, and the results are in...to be in the program, she needed to score 98% or better...she scored a 97%. Needless to say we are a bit disappointed, not in Lauren, but in the fact that she will not be able to participate in the program. There's always next year though and we will be sure to have her re-tested.

Just Getting By
Mood:  sad
Topic: Lauren

Is it possible that Lauren could have lost the desire and excitement to learn already? At second grade? All she seems to want to do is be with everyone else and do the work everyone else is doing. I've heard that it happens. Kids want to do only as much as they have to do instead of what they are capable of doing. Years ago it was a little different for me – I wanted to be not just with my friends, but with my intellectual peers and I wanted to do the work - even if it would have been hard work - but the school kept putting me back with others. Over time, I became accustomed to everything being easy so I lost interest in anything that involved work. Unfortunately, I'm still like that today. Sure Ic an get excited about something and even start work on it, but then it hits. It would just take too much time and study to go through with it. I don't want that to happen to Lauren. I want her to enjoy the struggle because that's the only way she'll enjoy the pride of accomplishment. There's got to be a way to keep that in her.

Ode To A Banana Muffin
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Lauren

Not yet have I tasted the mouth

And the potato chip like teeth.

Or the tongue, so like a sponge.

 

Lauren

on eating a banana muffin with a top that looked like a face. 

New Beginnings
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Lauren

We are just about to start the second month of school and the year so far has been surprisingly easy considering we switched Lauren to a new school.

In our state there is something called Open Enrollment where anyone living in one school district can enroll their child(ren) in any other school district provided there is space available. We had considered doing this for Lauren’s first grade year (last year) which was the year when the school district we live in was deciding whether to close a school and redraw the school boundaries. The school board decided on the option which kept Lauren at her school so we continued in our own school district.

But, we were not all that pleased with the curriculum for Lauren last year. She was reading at a 5th-6th grade level and while she was in an advanced reading group, it was every day in a different room with a different teacher. Now, how could they even begin to assess her growth with that scenario? In addition, we just weren’t sure about the rest of class curriculum. In the beginning of the year Lauren was capable of adding two digit numbers with carrying (regrouping as they now refer to it), but her class was starting out with tally marks. They did manage to end the year at adding and subtracting up to/from 18, but the teacher would never provide more challenging work for Lauren.

At the end of last year, and I mean the end…like the last week of school, after we heard a few things from neighbors about other issues at the school (class size and principal issues), we decided to think about switching again. It was a difficult decision and we went through a lot in finding our answer. We visited three other schools, talked with parents at the other schools, and had many discussions between ourselves about what it would mean to switch. In the end, we decided it would be better if we switched now, before she became that much more attached to her friends. So she started at her new school a month ago and has loved every minute of it. She is just so happy to be back in school, I’m not sure it would have mattered where she went just as long as she went. And when it comes right down to it, that’s more than half the battle, isn’t it?

Seven!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Lauren

What can I say? Lauren is seven and it's just unbelievable! There have been many changes in the past year, but the one that really stands out is that she has blossomed when it comes to her interactions with others. In fact, a neighbor just mentioned a couple weeks ago how Lauren used to say almost nothing to adults, but now talks and waves when she sees them. It seems my cautious baby girl has been replaced with an outgoing, rather confident little girl.  It is amazing to watch her interact with both adults and her peers in ways she never has before. She initiates play dates, she contributes to conversations, she compromises, and she enjoys all of it. That's the kicker - there's no wish more important to me for my child than to be more outgoing than I am. It will eliminate all the troubles of the timid and serve her well for the rest of her life.

Lauren - Happy 7th Birthday and you go girl!  Love you! 

Aha!
Mood:  bright
Topic: Lauren
The truth comes out as to why Lauren was Jonesin' for that little inhaler. Apparently her best friend at school has asthma and once in a while Lauren gets to go down to the nurse's office and watch while her friend gets a hit off her inhaler.  So I guess she does want things other kids have, it's just not the normal every day things I would expect.

Jonesin'
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Lauren

I expected Lauren to want Barbies like all the other girls. I expected her to want a Razor scooter like the kids down the street. I expected her to want all the usual things all the other kids have. Instead I have a child who

• wants braces (they're sparkly and shiny)
  
• wants to play the violin (not that I mind since I also play the violin, but it's just seems odd for a child to have been wanting to play violin since she was 3)
• and is happy ecstatic to have an inhaler

Yes, an inhaler has brought true joy to the life of my child. She has a two week old cold which has camped out in her lungs and while she has no fever, she does continue to have a nasty cough. So after consulting with the pediatric nurse, Tony shuffled her in to see the pediatrician fully expecting him to consider us over reactive parents and send us on our way with a "wait it out". She came away with a prescription for an antibiotic and an inhaler. She was none too pleased about the antibiotic but the thought of that inhaler had her excited and she could not wait to get to the drug store to get it. While waiting to make the trip, she told me all about the nurse explaining how to use it and even insisted on giving me a demo with the spacer. After we actually filled the prescription, the first thing she did upon entering the house was to show her father. "Look Dad! Here's my inhaler!". The excitement was palpable. If only, instead of 10 minutes worth of crying and trying not to drink the whole dose, she had as much eagerness for that anitbiotic! Of course, she wanted to use that wonderful inhaler...right away. We let her and all was right with her world.