The First Day of 6th Grade

Abbey started 6th grade today at a charter school here in Davis County.  It was kind of an unexpected turn of events because I had totally forgotten about submitting her name to Wasatch Peak Academy at the beginning of the summer.  Abbey's long-time friend Cloe and her sisters attend Wasatch Peak and they love it, plus it has the stamp of approval from their mom Jacque.  I just thought I would submit Abbey's name and see what happened.  Then I forgot about it.

Well, last Wednesday afternoon, six days before school starts, I received a call from the secretary at Wasatch, asking if we were interested in an open spot in 6th grade.  I didn't know what to say, especially because we only had a few hours to make the decision.  I was told I could let the school know of our decision the next morning.

So we did our research, talked to Jacque and her girls and talked to other neighbors who work at our neighborhood school.  There was a lot of information to take in and sift through. It seemed like we couldn't go wrong either way.  When Brett got home from work the three of us put our heads together that night and discussed the pros and cons.  Brett and I knew that ultimately it would be Abbey's decision because, not only would she be going to a charter school and wearing a uniform every day, she would be starting over with this move home and was already pretty stressed about making new friends and feeling welcome in her new school, whichever one it was.

After our family pow wow and fervent prayers, Abbey decided she wanted to spend her last year of elementary at Wasatch Peak Academy.  We had to rush around to get everything arranged and find stores with uniforms still on the shelves but it was worth it.  We even got to meet the Piano Guys at the Gateway after we finished our shopping!  I think it will be a great year for Abbey, a year to get more fully prepared for junior high.  Her new teacher, Mrs. Williams, has a fine reputation, and the bonus is that she is super tall, just like Abbey, and seems fun as well as no nonsense.

Meeting the Piano Guys at Gateway

 This is how far she has come.

 Checking out the new school after the big decision

Yes, she was ready to become a Wasatch Peak Academy Patriot

 Abbey looked so cute in the uniform!

She indulged me again with picture taking at the school this morning, but I think the hug at the classroom door really was too much for her.  I doubt I will be able to do all this next year in junior high.

Mrs. Williams is a former U of U Women's Basketball team member and has no problem with her height.  She even highlights it with her VERY high heels!

When Abbey got home today she was pretty tired and didn't know what to think of her first day.  She said she had made a couple of new friends and likes her teacher, but she said it might be a boring year.  But as the day wore on and we went to the store for school supplies, her excitement for tomorrow started to build.

So now Abbey has gone from being an ASD Dragon as an expat to being an ex-expat and a Wasatch Peak Academy Patriot.  Here's to another great year of learning and growing.  I just wonder if she will grow in height as much as she did last year in 5th grade - watch out Mrs. Williams!

 This was taken on the first day of 5th Grade, September 2011.

This was taken in June 2012, and yes, Abbey Kearney is taller than her teacher Miss Abbie Taylor.

ASD 5th Grade Science Fair

Abbey was looking forward to participating in the Science Fair this year.  She was excited to come up with an experimental question and do some actual experimenting to come up with the answer.  She was even happy about working with three other students in her class to accomplish a scientific goal.

The 5th Grade teachers created an amazing, well-organized schedule for the students to follow, with checklists, due dates, and hurdles to be jumped before the Science Fair.  There was even going to be an online component this year with a NESA Virtual Science Fair, an online posting of projects to share with other schools around the world.  Exciting, right?

Well, then the work began.  Abbey's enthusiasm was high as she and her group began to brainstorm ideas and come up with the experimental question.  As she sat at the computer and typed up lists of materials and each process paper, I offered to help but she assured me that everything must be done by the students only.  So I threw up my hands in relief and said, "Go for it!"

Soon I noticed Abbey's excitement waining and she began to comment about her team members not focusing on the work at school.  Then she mentioned that it was required that her group meet outside of school to do the experimenting.  This is when things began to unravel.  Abbey would suggest the group meet at our house on a Saturday and then the girls would start arguing over whose house they would meet at.  Abbey didn't care; she just wanted to get things moving.

Then as the meetings rotated from house to house I would hear about a lot of non-science-y stuff going on.  One day as I was driving Abbey to a meeting and asking all the right questions, I realized that there would be no parental supervision at the house, only a maid.  What to do?  The project must go on, right?  So when Brett took her to the next meeting and only two maids were supervising he brought Abbey home.  Abbey's friend called her when the dad got home and Brett made a second trip.

Now I don't think any of these situations were the fault of any of the girls.  They were doing what normal 5th graders do.  I just don't think most 5th graders have the maturity to organize outside school work like this project required.  When students this age get together they want to talk and have fun.  They want everyone to come to THEIR house for the meeting because it is difficult for children this age to put aside individual concerns and think about the goals of the group.  Abbey was able to do that but she is around adults a lot and could see what would happen if they didn't cooperate.  I truly think the teachers were way too optimistic about how the project could be accomplished.

More interesting things happened that I won't mention here, but needless to say, Abbey and I are not fans of the group science project.  It became way too bulky and complicated, and in Doha, we don't need things to be MORE complicated.  With all the wonderful outlines, plans, and goals the teachers prepared, I don't think they were thinking about the fact that parents might be unhappy about maids supervising science project meetings and then, even when parents were present, students might not make the best choices on how to spend their time together - I really didn't want to explain to my daughter what a book titled Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man was all about because one of the girls pulled it off another girl's family bookshelf!

The good news is that after every setback, Abbey pulled it together and ended up with a good science project.  She learned some amazing skills of sticking up for herself, working hard, pushing through people issues that didn't have anything to do with her, and following through no matter what happens.  Abbey has always been amazing; I got to see her perform at her most mature level though and come up with solutions to some very daunting problems.  She is one of my heroes and I love her so much!


EXPERIMENTAL QUESTION:  Does the material of a boat make a difference of how far the boat will travel?

 Building the boats

The wind was not cooperating.

The wind even blew the recording sheet into the pool!

The Science Fair

Abbey's Biathlon

Abbey participated in a biathlon last week during P.E.  The ASD P.E. Department held one last year, and it was such a hit with parents and students, they decided to make it an annual event.  This is supposed to help the students get prepared and motivated to participate in the triathlon that they hold in the spring for parents and students.  I don't know if Abbey came away ready to take on that kind of challenge, but she really pushed herself, buddied up with her friend who was feeling reluctant, and came away proud of her finish time.

I am just amazed at the wonderful programs The American School of Doha provides for our students.  They really build strength, confidence, talent, and determination, and I'm not just talking about the P.E. department.  Thanks, ASD for pushing our children and providing such a positive "American" atmosphere for so many blessed students to learn!

4th Grade!

Here she is folks, a grade four student!  Abbey has been in school for over three weeks now, so she is feelin' pretty comfortable in her fourth grade skin.  She loves her teacher Ms. Ossman, who is from South Africa and expecting a baby in February, and thinks she is ALMOST as wonderful as Ms.Verhoye, so that is saying a lot.  Abs says it is pretty difficult to rate her ASD teachers because all three are so amazing and have helped her in different ways. Mrs. Errico really helped Abbey with her confidence and her spelling.  (There is no photo with this year's teacher because for the first time, Abbey wouldn't allow me to take pictures at school because it embarrassed her. Oh, there are so many changes going on! Even her favorite color has changed to green!) 

As you can see by her fashion statement, the 80s Madonna era is back.  Even more anciently, fourth grade was my favorite year in school because Mr. Cannegator was the kind of teacher who carried us along the learning adventure, with his treasure hunts, guitar, and 60s folk songs, without us even realizing we were in school.  Even in his 70s polyester pants and horned-rimmed glasses, he made a Pete Seeger song cool enough for a nine year old to sing.  I hope this school year will be as memorable for my sweet Abbey.  So here's to all the Mr. Cannegators and Ms. Ossmans out there who make school such a great place to be, and here's to another year of homework, piano lessons, packing lunches, and mostly learning, lots of learning - for Abbey AND me.

First Day of School: Third Grade

We all made it through the first week of school! Getting up at 5:30 AM cured us of any lingering jet lag, so that has been a good thing. It also cured Abigail of any problems of being able to fall asleep that she was having. So we are off and running. Brett too has been pretty busy with new classes and new students. It is a good thing he likes his job so much. Darn it, I forgot to take a picture of him in his new school clothes!

Abbey's teacher Mrs. Errico seems very organized, and that is such a blessing. When I walked Abbey to class that first day, she was right there meeting each student and helping them feel comfortable. She asked me a few questions about who would be picking Abbey up and other procedures. She even wrote down my answers. I really appreciated that. Dropping your child off on her first day of school gets a little more emotional and worrisome when you do it in a foreign country.

Abbey quickly found her name card at her table and sat down. Her name was printed on one side of the name card and then written in cursive on the other. It made me remember the joys of third grade, especially being able to learn how to write in cursive. I've never been an artist, but handwriting has always been my thing. Abbey, on the other hand, is not looking forward to that part. I guess she leans more towards her dad in that way. He had to take remedial handwriting during recess and still talks about that scarring experience.

With the start of another school year, as always, I have been feeling a little melancholy about my baby growing up. It is always a time for moms to mark the passing of time and long for the less complex baby days with warm snuggles and rocking chair closeness.

Abigail further illustrated her race to grow up later in the week when we were driving home from the store. I was singing one of my favorite songs "You Are My Sunshine" to her to help keep my sanity as we dodged the random crazed Land Cruiser on the roads of Doha. This song has always been my Abbey song, and I have often changed the words while singing it, putting in lines like, "You are my Abbey, and you're a sweetheart. I love you more than you can know . . . " I know, very silly, but one of my favorite things to do with my children and grandchildren.

So after I finished singing, I was basking in my great mothering practices that build up my daughter's self-esteem, and went and asked a dangerous question. "So do you like it when I sing to you like that and make up words about you for the song?" Without hesitating, Abbey said in a matter of fact tone, "Yes, but don't ever do it in front of my friends." That kind of stunned me and I got pretty quiet as I thought about how early this was for her to already be embarrassed by her mom. (It also made me think of an old movie with Barbara Stanwyck titled Stella Dallas. Check it out if you haven't seen it.) Just as I was about to get my feelings hurt, Abbey piped up in the back again and said, "If your feelings are hurt, you are the one who asked." She was right, so I had no one to blame but myself for now knowing that my baby no longer looked at me with blind admiration. Sad, I know.

Abbey's First Day of School

Abbey started second grade this last Sunday. She was excited and so were we. The day got off to an early start, but since the sun comes up at 5:30 A.M. here, it is a little easier to wake up at 6 A.M. Ms. Verhoye is Abbey's teacher and seems like a fun lady. She is a new transplant here from San Diego, so she is going through a lot of the same culture shock we are, so she is very understanding.

After I dropped Abbey off at school and Brett off at the university, I indulged myself in some window shopping. While I was reveling in my independence, my mobile phone rang, and it was Abbey's teacher. The first thing out of her mouth was, "Everything is okay, and Abbey is fine." That was reassuring, but still worrisome. She called to tell me that on the way to art class Abbey went one way and the other students went to art class. Abbey spent a few troubling minutes lost looking for an adult and going to the empty office (which had just moved a few days before because of renovations). Ms. Verhoye finally found Abs in the hallway and comforted her as she melted into tears. While looking for help, Abbey had been so brave, but the relief of seeing her teacher thawed out those emotions. She was soon feeling better and concentrating on what she had done right. By the time I picked her up she had a good story to tell.

Finding My Voice Again

It seems that I have been a wife and mother for so long that I have forgotten about the satisfaction of having an opinion and a thought all my own. So I have given in and started a blog - even the word itself is so gooey! I have always thought of myself as one who never follows the trends, but I hope this opportunity to publish my thoughts will force me to take the time to articulate and cultivate them. When I was a shy tenth grade student I had an English teacher who always read the best student writing out loud to the class before she handed back our assignments. Of course she never gave the writers' names, but many of us guessed about the owner of those words she lauded and held up for our writing aspirations. Many times my teacher would read my words and I found myself floating above the mire of high school, finally feeling validated. You might ask why I hadn't felt that before, and I don't know the answer to that. All I know is that when Mrs. Pensis would read my carefully chosen words, I would sit taller in the corners of my brain, even though I was desperately trying to act nonchalant and anonymous in the corner desk of my classroom. I don't want to be that anonymous any more. I want my voice back, even if I am the only one listening.