The 'Star of the Week'

Andrew was 'Star of the Week' in his class. Here is what that entailed:

Monday--he had to bring a poster about himself to school and it has been displayed in class all week.

Tuesday--he brought a favorite book that the teacher read aloud to the class.

Wednesday--he had a special show-and-tell with 2-3 items from home. (He shared a Lego creation and his sports cards collection.)
Thursday--the kids in the class drew pictures of Andrew and wrote things they like about him.

Friday--he will be interviewed by the class.

As corny as some of that sounds, I think it is really cute and he is really enjoying it. Actually, it is a great way to help him fit into the class and help the other kids get to know him better.

He is doing really well in class. His teacher says he made friends right away and adjusted really well as 'he just went with the flow with a smile on his face'. I notice how happy he is to go to school and how happy he is when he comes home. I know he thrives off having more structure to the day, whereas my girls are more flexible. But, I think the forced structure and routine have been great for all of us. So far, it seems that being in a classroom setting everyday, he is more motivated and confident with his homework, is writing, reading, speaking and drawing better, and he is learning a lot of responsibility. He does really well at telling me what he has done in the day, what needs to be done for tomorrow, and what his teacher has said. But, Andrew already had the right stuff for being a great student. He is quiet, focused, determined, a good listener, a bit of a perfectionist, kind, tenderhearted and a good friend to others. He is a lot like his dad.

All that said, I guess I should add an addendum to what I wrote in 'The First Week of School' post, however. I know Andrew didn't realize what betting was and that it is wrong...but, that little girl that asked him to race and he made cry on the first day of school because he beat her...well, I found out a little more to the story. Apparently, Andrew had said if he beat her she would owe him $2. The girl told the teacher after recess and the teacher encouraged her to talk to Andrew about it. She went to Andrew and said, "I'm not going to give you $2." to which he responded, "That's ok. I don't need it anyway." He hadn't known the teacher found out about it, but she told me I may want to follow up on that with him. I had to talk to him about betting and why it is not a good thing to do.

Then, the other day, Andrew said with a scowl, "Mom, you know that thing you told me about if girls keep bothering me at school I should tell you or the teacher? Well, there's this girl that keeps saying 'hi' to me at recess." Suddenly concerned, I said, "Is the girl following you around and teasing you when you're trying to play?" "Well, she doesn't follow me or tease me, but she just keeps walking by and says 'hi-i-i' to me and waves, like this." He imitates her girly wave and sing-song voice. (At this point, it is hard for me to maintain a serious face.) "Well, does she say anything besides 'hi'?" "No." "Ah...well, buddy,...I don't think that sounds like too big a problem--if you don't like it, just ignore her." "But,... she says it real 'lovey' and stuff," he replies with disgust. I conclude by telling him again to try ignoring her and not to let that bother him. I haven't heard any more about it, so it must be working out alright for him.

And this morning, Andrew complained, "Mom, kids keep calling me 'the new kid'. I said, "Well, what's wrong with that? You are the new kid." He thought for a second, and then smiled. I continued, "Next time someone calls you 'new kid' just say, "My name is Andrew"--maybe they forgot your name." He smiled bigger. I am hoping that all such problems are this easy to solve.