Stow Aways: a second grader

I have no idea how I have a kid old enough to be a second grader, but there she is. Miss Grace Elizabeth Chapman.

I remember second grade VERY well. It's my earliest concrete memory of a large portion of a school year. I went to second grade at Southside Elementary in Lander, WY. My teacher was Miss Rogers. She was an "old" single lady from Boston, MA with a very thick Boston accent who threatened to "rip our lips off" (sounded like "I'll rep yah leps oahf") if we talked in class. She had us thoroughly convinced that she had a box of lips in her desk from former second grade rule offenders. She loved cats and whales. I learned a lot about whales that year which sparked a pretty solid interest in marine biology. I also remember second grade because that was the year when Michael Jackson's Thriller album came out and won 8 Grammy awards. I was hooked on Michael and I vividly remember watching him perform on TV at the Grammys. It was the start of my committed relationship with music and MTV.

Well, I don't mean to talk so much about myself except that I can't help thinking about my second grade experiences as I watch Grace in hers. Here, a full 27 years later, and Grace is also hooked on Michael Jackson, totally enthralled with music and rock stars, and liking school for what she can so far. Unfortunately, this is the first year she hasn't been completely in love with school. It's so sad knowing that she isn't absolutely excited to get on that bus every morning, but it has become a drudgery and an obligation more than something she wants to do with her day out of choice and excitement. She does love library and PE day and has become the kid who goes to school and can't wait for recess.

Grace has had a rough start to the year. I think it is finally sinking in that she is no longer at her beloved school in MA and has had to start life over without her completely supportive teachers and devoted friends (some remain utterly devoted, but just live too darn far away!) She is hopelessly bored with math because it is SO easy for her right now. She dreads having to prove one more time on a work sheet that she can, in fact, add, subtract, do greater/less than, read a graph, make a graph, and even do most fractions without the slightest effort. Her spelling words are also so easy that she puts very little effort into the spelling activities out of spite. Her papers sometimes look like papers I used to get from my least favorite students. ugh. We are having her tested for the gifted program so that she might be a little happier at school. Unfortunately, they can't get her in for testing until October, so we're trying to teach her the finer points in doing your best and neatest work even if you hate that you have to do it at all and supplementing her where we can at home.

Outside of school, we are trying to cultivate our little Gracie garden into whatever she dreams of being. She is still firmly set on being a rock star when she grows up and her guitar lessons are proving pretty successful. No "Stairway to Heaven" yet, but she's got "Ode to Joy" and "Yankee Doodle" down pretty well. She's even teaches herself each song on the piano as she learns it on the guitar. We're working on "Clare de Lune" right now. I'm also getting a bonus out of it because I go to all of her lessons with her and I help her practice by learning the chords and second parts so we can play together. Maybe she and I will form a chick band someday. Well, one of us would have to learn to sing... Hattie?

Grace is also doing really well in her karate classes. She recently switched to the "adult" 7 and up class. They meet 2x a week for over 1.5 hours each time of grueling exercise and training. I seriously don't know how she does it, and I'm even more surprised by how much she likes it. Mr. Kao is intense and as serious as the military. I really respect him though. Last week, he told the older kids that he will never let them test for their black belts if they don't carry at least a B average in school. He teaches the kids really great values.

I think the thing Grace is most passionate about these days though, is her bike. That girl has really learned how to ride it well this summer and constantly pesters us to go out for rides. I know David couldn't be prouder or happier that she has lost all fears and just goes for it. She is most excited about her new bike gloves and wore them all day, every day for a week when she first got them.