Celia: First Day of School

She insisted on wearing her BYU shirt!

Her new "Well-made, neon" backpack she was so excited about.

This was an interesting year for us for Celia's schooling.  Last year, as you know, she got pretty bored.  Her teacher recommended I get her tested for the highly gifted program.  We weren't really interested in having her go to a special school, but we tested her anyway because they told me it would get her on the "special needs" list and I could then pick her teachers at her neighborhood school.  Her elementary school is really good.  One of the best in the city.  And we really like it there.  She had to go through three rounds of testing and then an IQ test.  And to get into the school she had to test in the 99th percentile on all four tests.  With each round, they called me and would say things like "Celia was in the 99th percentile on this test, but don't get your hopes up... there are still a few more things to do" etc etc.  And I frankly kept hoping she wouldn't be in the 99th percentile on the next one so we wouldn't have to make a choice.  Finally, after the IQ test where she got a 135, they referred me to the highly gifted school.  We said we weren't interested, but made an appointment to go look at it anyway the week before school started.  In the month before that, the more we talked to people about it, the better the program sounded.  Tom and I assumed it would be a very prep-school-type accelerated program.  And we didn't want her accelerated too quickly, just enriched.  Then we went to the elementary school open house where she found out who her teacher would be for next year.  I talked to Celia's kindergarten teacher there and she said "Celia would do fine with her, but you really should look at the other school.  It's made for Celia."  She then told me that her best friend's daughter goes there and I should text this lady.  I put her number in my pocket and promptly forgot about it.  That evening, I started praying about the school and remembered the number in my pocket and felt very strongly that I should text the lady.  So I did.  She texted back and said "My daughter absolutely loves it.  Can I call you in a bit?"  She called me, explained to me her daughter's situation.  She sounded exactly like Celia.  And the mom was the PTA president at our neighborhood elementary school, so she had a lot of hesitation about leaving, just like I did.  But everything she said sounded exactly like Celia and what she needed.  The next day, we took Celia to check out the school.  She wanted to go there immediately because they have "movable art" in the hallways (pictures that move when you turn cranks and stuff) and an ice skating rink for recess outside in the winter.  Tom and I felt great about it, and ended up having her transferred.  She started school on 27 and it has been great for her.  She absolutely loves it, was THRILLED this Monday when she started getting homework (FINALLY! she said) and she doesn't beg to not go to school every morning like she did last year.  So that's a definite plus.  The bus was picking her up at 8 and dropping her off around 4:30, but they recently changed her morning route to 7:20 and she would be the first one on and the only elementary schooler and would have to change busses at the middle school, so I have to drive her everyday now.  So now we're having the second car discussion... (We've made it nearly 9 years with just our little Sentra!)  It's always something with these kiddos...

The other drawback is we're now part of this weird group of scary parents.  I went to a "meet your kid's math teacher" thing last night where the entire class of parents ripped in to this poor math teacher about why all their kids weren't moved up to second grade math in first grade.  Afterwards, a few of them approached me to ask me who I was because there are only 4 new kids in the first grade this year.  All the other kids were tested before Kindergarten.  So now I feel like we're the new kids, and the loser new kids because we didn't test her before Kindergarten.  Hopefully she can emerge without some chip on her shoulder or a sense of entitlement.

On the first day of school,  when all the parents were bringing their kids in to find their classrooms,  Celia gave me a hug and kiss and said "I'll just go by myself.   I'm sure."