Another school year has come to a close. Orion has completed kindergarten and Apollo has finished up 3rd grade. The school year, although it seemed to drag on while we were in the midst of it, now that it is finished up, it seems to have screamed by.
Orion is in the same Spanish immersion school as Apollo. Their brains soak up the new language like sponges, and it was fun watching Orion begin to learn a new language. He made a great showing for his first year, even though he had moments of self doubt, and questioned if he was smart enough, or lamenting the fact that he forgot things very easily. The fact that he is cognizant of his forgetfulness says a lot for how bright of a young man he is. Orion roles his "R's" beautifully and has done a great job at grasping the Spanish language. All though he may not agree, Orion made kindergarten seen fairly easy. Beyond doing well in his studies, his teacher often commented on his sweetness and noted that he "is a friend to everybody."
Kindergarten is great year for kids. It's as if a flower-bud, tightly wrapped, begins to unfurl for the first time. Hesitantly, the first petal loosens up, then the next...and so on. Soon you begin to see a beauty and potential emerging that manifest in so many ways. The transition form toddler, to young boy begins and the possibilities are endless. Although, Orion likes to resist the regimented learning ways of the education system, his brain is not so easily dissuaded and the information sinks in and opens doors before he realizes what happens. At the end of the day, his charm and easy going disposition will take this kid as far as he dreams of going. He can win anyone over with his smile and his negotiation skills rival that of a seasoned professional.
Apollo has excelled in sarcasm and theatrics this year! He may be better suited for a performing arts school than a general education school. Actually, he was born with these gifts, they just become more pronounced week after week, and year after year. Third grade was a banner year for Apollo. He has finally began to let his guard down at school and let his personality shine through to his teachers and his classmates. This year, his mathematical abilities (genius) made themselves known in a big way. His math teacher, Maestro Curiel, took an interest in Apollo's math abilities, and pushed his boundaries. In conference, we were told, after being shown a failed test of Apollo's that, "He got the answers correct, but he lost points for not following the directions and not showing his work in the way that we asked them to show it. The interesting thing is that when I asked him how he arrived at the answers, he not only defends his work vehemently, but he explains methods of doing the work that we did not teach him." I am paraphrasing a bit, but the essence of the conversation are there. His teacher said that Apollo was always one of the first kids done with math each day so he would allow Apollo to help the other kids finish their work. Maestro Cruiel said that Apollo could often explain how to solve the problems to his fellow students better than he, as the teacher could explain it himself. He told us that what he found refreshing about Apollo, was that every time they finished a section and he would announce that they were starting a new subject, i.e. long division, Apollo would be the only one to voice excitement over it, while the majority of the class would moan and groan in dismay. His final words to Apollo via his report card were; "I am extremely honored to have been Apollo's math teacher. He is a fantastic mathematician and I am delighted by his progress throughout the school year. Apollo; go forth and conquer the world!"
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