With the first year of traditional school completed, the kids had a few thoughts about it:
Caroline said that when we did homeschool, she remembered a lot of her days. Each day was its own day with its own memories. But, going to school every day, they are all the same, her classes are the same, the order is the same, and she cannot remember individual days. She does like her classmates a lot and has felt like she's been with them for more than a year, which is a great thing. She would actually prefer to go to school through the summer so she could see her friends.
Henry said the school year went very fast and he did not like that. He wants the time to move a little slower like it did with homeschooling. He is concerned that the summer will go equally as fast. He did like school, however, and really enjoyed his teachers.
Josiah was not a fan of redoing 9th grade (understood) and made it his mission to show his teachers that they made the wrong decision. He was capable of the 10th grade work and it's been a hard pill to swallow to have another year of high school. He did very well this year and I think in 5 year's time this will just be a mild inconvenience. He liked the majority of his teachers and the majority of his classes. He has made a good friend, too, dubbed "SC Bobby."
As for new uniforms for next year:
Caroline is not happy that the girls have to wear skirts. They have no option for pants. She was not amused when I told her we wore leg warmers in the 80s.
Henry would prefer dress code instead of uniform. He does not want to have to tuck in his shirt or wear a belt.
Josiah said that if they are going to do uniforms, they should go all the way and wear suits. He's upset that they are wearing Polo style shirts instead of button-down dress shirts with jackets. He would thrive in the British schools with the fancy uniforms.
All three say the administration did not take their suggestions into consideration as none of their suggestions were part of the new uniform. Personally, the uniforms are very clean and classic looking. I like them. I say that now before they show us the price tags.
Exam week went fairly well. The kids have gotten many of their scores back and there were many As and a few Bs, so those are very successful exams in my book. On Monday, Caroline had just one exam so one mom took the 6th grade girls to Corner Bagel for brunch. Later that day, the girls got together again to have a party for their friend Elly who is moving to NC this summer. From all accounts, they stayed in the pool the whole time and just enjoyed each other's company. Elly has been an amazing friend to Caroline. Caroline has said she is the nicest person she's ever met. She's also been the "smartest" in class and Caroline always compares her scores to Elly's as a gauge on whether she did well or not.
On Tuesday, Elly's family threw their annual End of School Party at their house. It was a water party - water balloons, water guns, etc. Josiah got in the mix, but my other two made it their mission to stay dry. Caroline hung out with her friends the whole time soaking up their last days with Elly. Towards the end of the party when the crowds dissipated (there were 90+ people there!), Elly's brother Clay took our boys on an ATV ride around their 11 acres. Henry says it was the most fun he's ever had.
On Wednesday, the kids had their last exams. Relief. The boys went over to a friend's house that night for a sleepover. They ended up going to his church for their Wednesday night activities. Basketball was played.
On Thursday, we met the boys back at school for their final day. This was an easy day - they had time to eat breakfast together, they signed yearbooks, they cleaned up their classrooms and turned in their books. Last, they had a Senior Share time, which was one teacher asking the graduating seniors questions. I was in my classroom down the hallway and, though I could not hear their words, I heard a lot of laughter. They finished they day with a trivia game. I got a lot of cleaning and organizing done in my classroom.
When we got home from school that day, the boys, one most emphatically, were not cranky and not tired. Really? Huh. They both slept all afternoon. (thank goodness)
On Friday, we had our first day of vacation. This time it is a true vacation since we always did math throughout the summer with homeschooling. We headed up to Greenville to take care of a few errands and the boys needed shoes. Josiah found a new pair, but Henry was not keen on the styles and left emptyhanded. Henry liked the "lifestyle" shoes but those did not come in wide. He let it be known that he was not happy with me for passing down my wide feet. Genetics, buddy. Sorry. We are also limited to white, grey, or navy blue due to the new uniform. They were thrilled for that. We celebrated the school year at Red Robin. Josiah had been before back in Virginia when he was quite young, but he had no memories of it. All enjoyed their burgers and bottomless fries.
Josiah spent his Saturday evening on the lake. One friend from class had another end of year party and Josiah sat on a pool float on Lake Hartwell. He enjoyed the cookout and the smores. It's hard to get pictures these days....
Henry has decided he wants a PS5. He wants it for the summer. We decided he needs to earn the money for it. Henry wants to earn all the money as quickly as possible. Due to his constant, relentless persistence, I came up with a list of jobs he could do to earn money. Saturday morning, he was on them. He did the entire list except weeding the backyard. Very Henry. He cleaned all the windows he could reach (inside and outside if he could reach them). He swept the front steps, edged the front yard, cleaned the patio table, and swept its floor. Josiah wanted in on the action because if Henry bought it outright, he'd control who could play. That would be no-bueno. Josiah cleaned the patio cushions and vacuumed out my car. At the end of every job, they asked, How much did I earn? So, this is going to be a job for me, too.
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