Fast times and wild living with (the former) Baby Whozit…
Posted in First Grader, Simon says... on Aug 30th, 2013
This one is short and sweet. First grade has offered four amusing bits so far. 1. Simon’s school is doing Spanish this year, and his new teacher is Colombian and is taking an immersive approach. Which is to say that on the first day of Spanish, Simon’s teacher chatted away to his class in Spanish, […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Aug 22nd, 2013
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Simon’s life is beginning to remind me of the movie Groundhog Day with its endless repetitive looping. Tuesday the kiddos within Jefferson County Public Schools all returned to school. Just like last year, I went to help sort the buses and arrange and/or verify afternoon transportation at […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Aug 13th, 2013
Any time I’ve read about testing disparities between socioeconomic classes, I’ve always assumed that it boiled down to educational support at home, enrichment opportunities, and the like. I had read that standardized exams were also culturally biased towards middle-class white kids, and while I didn’t dispute that fact, I couldn’t quite picture where culture came […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Jul 31st, 2013
This is Simon’s sixth week of doing camp of some sort. To date, he’s attended one week of soccer camp, two weeks of tennis camp, one week of forest camp at Locust Grove (a historical estate in a pastoral setting where Louisville’s founder once lived), and one week of zoo camp. Today is the third […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Jul 29th, 2013
Some months or even years ago, our friend Barry explained how some young athletes get overly hyped early in their career, leaving them to surprise or disappoint later. The phenomenon most often occurs in coachable children with some natural ability or talent. These kids can run, kick, hit, or throw, but what really sets them […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Jul 20th, 2013
In my infinite wisdom, I took Simon to the pool Thursday at 3:35. We reached the pool gate just at 4:00, a time carefully calibrated to coincide with the first bolt of lightening to arrive as part of a forecast thunderstorm. Next time maybe I’ll remember to check the weather before heading out. So there […]
Posted in First Grader on Jul 12th, 2013
I can still remember–and cringe while remembering–all the times that Simon has stood apart from a crowd and watched his peers play. The first time I really recall it was when I took him to a baby play group when he was around a year old. While four or five babies happily frolicked in the […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Jul 8th, 2013
Now is the time when I really wish I had more of a neuroscience background, because the memory of children—specifically my child—is starting to blow me away. I first began to notice Simon’s excellent recall when he started describing soccer moves from games and years past. “You mean like when John Terry made an own […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Jul 3rd, 2013
I’ve spent the past year or so wondering when I’d feel that my child had totally, utterly outclassed me. Well, wonder no more: that time has arrived. I’ve still got a lot to teach Simon, naturally, but the boy—at 6!—has lapped his mother when it comes to being well rounded. The reason I’m thinking about […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Jun 17th, 2013
That’s how long it took for Simon to be over summer, at least in some respects. I haven’t even had a chance to wrap up kindergarten (it’s coming, though), and he’s already missing it. How do I know? He’s told us, directly and indirectly. Saturday morning, Simon told me that he had awoken from a […]