"I Love First Grade"

Full rundown and more pictures.

And that is a direct quote after picking The Kid up.

What parent doesn’t like to hear that?

The best part of the whole thing, IMNSHO, was the “survival kit”, (not to be confused w/ the Survival Kit we are building) a baggie of goodies that The Kid’s teacher gave them today.  It contained:

A puzzle piece to remind them they must all work together.  Star stickers to remind them that they are stars.  A bookmark, b/c stars read (and the bookmark has a times table chart on it, and The Kid can do 0s, 1s and a several other multiplications problems b/c she and The Guy spent a few minutes on it…she’s a demented genius I swear).  Trail mix to give them strength on the learning trail.  Smarties b/c they are all smart.  A pencil and paper pad to take notes along the way.  A glue stick to help them stick w/ the people who love and support them.  A Hershey’s hug and kiss to remind them they are love.  And, my favorite part, an eraser, b/c they will make mistakes.

That is the best thing ever.  An eraser.

To remind them that it is OK to make mistakes.

At this school mistakes are not only understood, they are welcomed.  It is recognized that we will all make mistakes, and that those mistakes help us learn.

As parents at this school we are encouraged to stand back and let our children make mistakes.  We think that if our kids don’t turn in homework or remember their stuff that it will reflect on us as parents.  This school doesn’t see it that way.  They encourage us to stand back and let them forget things and let them not turn in their homework.  This helps them learn to be responsible and accountable for themselves.  It is a learning process.  And it works.

And I will tell you it has made all the difference.