Back to School

Its back to school for us today.  I woke up early with a long list of things to do.  Yesterday, I started working on some things as Erika is literally weeks away from wrapping up first grade.  This means I need to come up with some things to keep her learning until May.  One thing I planned was the 100th day of school.  We did this last year and it was a big hit.  She loved it.  And there is so much more she can do this year, so I am real excited about that.  Tori is busy working away and so is Erika.  Josh is our..."don't wake me up til 8...you know I will get it done."   And he does.  So he is still snoozing right now.

The next six weeks will be a little more high pressure for the older two.  They have to squeeze nine weeks of work into six.  We are pressed for time this school year because of when we got back from the states last summer and we will be leaving again the first week of May.  So, there just were fewer weeks this year.  And yes, they did have a break for Christmas and will also have a break when Lee's parents come next month.  That just means when they have school days, they will just need to do a little extra work each day.  Next year, we will be able to stretch it out a little better.

It has been really fascinating to me, over the break, to watch Erika read.  She reads everything, wants to have help sounding out big words.  It is like her world just opened up.  One morning I was making her bed and found a Dr. Seuss book that she had gotten last year for Christmas, open on her bed.  She had been reading.  Books I once read to her, now she reads to herself.  It is really neat.  It is real exciting to be a part of this process.

There is a family in our church who recently lost their home to a fire.  A thatch roof small home.  People have been so generous to donate to this family.  It has blessed Lee and I so much.  The younger children go to school, but the oldest, 15, has never been.  They are immigrants from Guatemala and probably just never had access to schools until now.  I was watching her last week, trace letters on a sign at church.  She probably cannot read those letters.  It made me sad.  I know she needs someone who could take the time and teach her to read.  I thought about how I taught Erika.  But I have been teaching Erika since she came to my house at 15 months.  There are so many "pre-reading" things that just happen naturally as you are raising your child.  So many foundations that have been laid for so long.  With this girl, I am not even sure how much English she actually speaks because she is so shy.  I am praying for someone who is bilingual to be able to teach her.  Because I know it would open up her world so much...

Well, I am being summoned for assistance.  Back to school....