Tag: 6th grade

Posted in Kids, School

School’s Out…for the Summer

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

It’s official…

Yesterday, I shared the end of the school year 6th grade interview, and today I’m sharing the last day of school photos.

first day:

vs. last day…

I knew Hayden grew this year, but the proof is in this photo from yesterday!

Hayden:

First vs. Last Day of 6th Grade:

Hayden was involved in:

  • Cross Country
  • Basketball
  • Track
  • Beta Club
  • Wyldlife

Hadley:

First vs. Last Day of 6th Grade:

Hadley was involved in:

  • Dance
  • Track
  • Chorus
  • Wyldlife
  • Student Council

When your mom is a teacher…

It’s probably both a blessing and a curse to have a mom as a teacher. When the year started, I wasn’t sure what to expect in regards to communication with teachers and classwork. Their school has two teams for each grade, and my kids were on the same team. The lead teacher sent daily emails with activities, assignments, and due dates. It was so nice because they had the same teachers which meant the same assignments and due dates. I got the notifications on assignments and grades. If an assignment was flagged missing, I definitely let my kids know.

This year, I really tried to help the kids stay organized and plan their time wisely. I encouraged them to talk to their teachers, ask questions, and advocate for themselves. Bless Hadley’s heart. Every year she wants all the colored pens, sticky notes, and cute folders that Target has to offer. While she does tend to stay pretty organized, some of that falls to the wayside as a school year continues. Hayden subscribes to “shove everything in my backpack even though I have folders and binders” method of organization. Aye yai yai!

While sometimes I felt like we had to talk with them a bit too much about expectations, I also know that if we didn’t teach them these skills, then who would?

In the teaching world, we use “gradual release model” as best practice with our students. This year felt a lot like “I do” (in regards to teaching expectations and academic habits) and now we will work towards “we do” and “you do” in 7th and 8th grades. 😉I’m hoping some of these habits will roll into next year, and the kids will know how to manage their time, study, and meet deadlines with less help from Travis or myself.

The kids learned so much this year. It’s a big transition moving from elementary school with one teacher to having 8 classes in a day. Also, with 8 different teachers come a variety of expectations and procedures. They ended the first quarter at home for two weeks with Covid. That being said, both kids made the Honor Roll every quarter and their grades continued to improve throughout the year. The kids are both pretty well-rounded, and with the transition to middle school and as active as they are, I will take it.

Middle school can be a really difficult time for kids. I continue to be thankful for the community of people that it takes to keep my kids headed in the right direction. From teachers to coaches to family and parents of friends, it definitely takes a village, and I appreciate everyone’s help!

I’m going to take a few blogging days off as I finish up the odds and ends of the school year and just take a moment to decompress from the weight of the world right now.

Thanks so much for reading.

Posted in Kids, School

End of the School Year Interview: 6th Grade

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! Well, we made it! Today, is the…

and the last lunch of the year is packed 😅

This year really did go by so quickly! Maybe it was because it was a “normal” year after a year and a half of non-traditional instruction. The kids really did have a great first year of middle school.

I tweaked the questions that I’ve asked them in the past in order to include a few specific middle school questions.

Hayden’s Thoughts:

  • What was the best part of this year? Meeting new people
  • Who was your favorite teacher? my Language Arts and PE teachers
  • What was your favorite thing to learn about this year? In Health, we learned about fitness.
  • What was your favorite class? PE
  • What is something hard you did? Math
  • What do you want to be when you grow up? Undecided
  • What was something fun that you did at school this year? Going outside during class
  • What is one word you would use to describe this school year? Chaotic
  • What was your favorite school activity and why? Being with my teammates in basketball and track
  • What is one thing you enjoy about middle school? Having more freedom

Mom’s Thoughts:

  • I’m proud of you because you persevered through obstacles and never gave up.
  • One of my favorite memories of you this year was: watching you run.
  • It’s been fun to watch you: grow as a learner and as an athlete.
  • Three things I love about you: your tenacity, your inquisitiveness, and your quiet leadership abilities.
  • You strengthened our family by: becoming more responsible and taking ownership in your learning and training.

Hadley’s Thoughts:

  • What was the best part of this year? Meeting new friends and walking to classes with friends.
  • Who was your favorite teacher? my math teacher
  • What was your favorite thing to learn about this year? budgeting basics in Tech Ed
  • What was your favorite class? Math
  • What is something hard you did? Writing two essays for Language Arts at once.
  • What do you want to be when you grow up? An elementary teacher
  • What was something fun that you did at school this year? Sometimes we’d have free time in class to play games or talk with friends.
  • What is one word you would use to describe this school year? A learning experience (more than one word…but relatable ;))
  • What was your favorite school activity and why? Ice cream party for track because our hard work paid off.
  • What is one thing you enjoy about middle school? Having eight different teachers during the day.

Mom’s Thoughts:

  • I’m proud of you because…you stayed true to yourself but also blossomed in a new school environment.
  • One of my favorite memories of you this year was: watching you dance and run.
  • It’s been fun to watch you: make new friends and keep your elementary friendships too.
  • Three things I love about you: your generosity, your inclusiveness, and your desire to try new things
  • You strengthened our family by: being happy, silly, and sweet.

This first year of middle school flew by! I was probably more nervous about the transition to middle school than they were. Overall, I’m proud of their academic effort as well as their willingness to spread their wings in a new school. They’ve met some great friends, continued to grow friendships, were active in clubs and sports, and took on more responsibilities at school and at home.

*As this school year wraps up, and I write this post about my kids’ year, I can’t help but think of the horrific events that unfolded at the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas yesterday. I’m absolutely heartbroken for that community and my prayers are for those who lost loved ones in this senseless act of violence.

I’m hugging my kids extra tight.