It's been funny, the little ways you can tell my children have lived in Haiti for a year...
For instance, they aren't used to napkins at the table, because 1) napkins were expensive and you didn't waste them or use them unless absolutely necessary and 2) the fans would just blow them off the table anyways.
Also, their reactions to us being at a stoplight for any length of time might be disconcerting if you didn't know their frame of reference. "Mom, why are we stopped? or Mom, why aren't you just going?" ring out every time.
Anytime Zoe hears a difference in an electrical appliance, i.e. the washing machine finishes its cycle, the ac cycles off, etc., she gives a little growl of frustration and announces "powers off!"
I ordered these little photo magnets made out of all our instagram pictures of our last year and have them all over our fridge...I love the constant reminder of seeing our Haiti family.
I forgot how quickly fall comes to Virginia, as opposed to the North Carolina falls that don't really show up till November. Geesh, the nights here are already getting cold! I think we are in for quite a shock to our system this winter.
We officially started up our Monarch Way Academy 2014-2015 school year this week and it is off to a great start.
I do wonder if I can call it an official start without a picture of my kids holding an adorable chalkboard sign with their grades on it?
(Sorry, sometimes Jeremiah's sarcastic-ness leaks over to me. But I'm never sardonic.)
I decided to do a "soft start" for this month and we are only doing our main Math, English, and Reading subjects and will start all our other subjects in October. I've never done this before but I can see tremendous benefits to it for all of us. First, it eases us back into more of a schedule vs. an abrupt start. I don't know any child (or adult really!) that loves abrupt starts. Second, it takes away any pressure I feel to not "get behind" in those major areas. It also allows for me to do any tweaking where I see the kids need it, or to add in any new areas of study that they bring up they are interested in.
I always sit down with the kids when I begin my planning of the school year and ask them what they would like to learn about. I believe it serves us both well to integrate what has to be taught within the parameters of what they want to know. This year, however, they were really short winded in creating that list, I think because we had just stepped off a plane into a new world. Doing this soft start will allow me time to plan in their interests as their brains get back into school mode.
Last years schooling in Haiti was...really, really challenging. I am so very excited to have a better school year this time around.
And finally, for old times sake, I found these pictures of our first week of school way back in 2010. They were just babies then...
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