The Big Move: School

Out of everything I possibly could have been concerned about, changing schools on my boys was probably my biggest concern.  I particularly loved Ethan's teacher, Mrs. Riesen, because she did such an exellent job of helping Ethan excel.  (Yes, I cried when I said goodbye to her.)  Everyone said we were moving at a good age for our children, because they are resilient and can bounce back pretty quickly.  And, overall that has been true.  They both say they have a few friends already, and when it was warm when we first moved here (it reached the mid 50s for a couple of days!) they had kids knocking on the door, asking if Ethan or Aidan could play.  So I am really relieved about this.

There have been, however, some MAJOR differences between their old school and their new one.  The biggest immediate concern for Ethan was that in his school in Utah, they didn't learn cursive until fourth grade (being in third grade, he hadn't learned it yet).  But in their new school, the students had all learned it at the beginning of third grade, and are now writing paragraphs in cursive.  So Ethan has had to start from the beginning.  It has been hard on him, especially since he is used to being at the top of the class in whatever subject they are learning.  He has a cursive workbook, and every night I have him do two or three pages. 

Also, in Utah, our school was a Title I school.  I think this means they get government funding for a lot of stuff.  All I know is that I hardly had to purchase anything at the beginning of the school year for my kids, but when we got here, they gave me a list nearly a page long of specific things I had to purchase for first grade and third grade.  (Specific stuff, like "5 two-pocket folders, in green, blue, purple, yellow and red" and "hand-held pencil sharpener with enclosure.")  I also had to purchase both boys gym shoes, that they only wear to P.E.  I spent nearly a hundred bucks at Target purchasing all that stuff!  Plus, there was a $75 book fee per kid (I only had to pay for half of it, since we are halfway through the school year).  We never had book fees in Utah.  Basically, I'm saying elementary school was free in Utah, and costs lots of money here.  However, the school district here is one of the top rated districts in the state, and it shows.

We live a block away from the school, and the boys get to walk.  I've been walking them and picking them up most days, which is great.  (Great for me and Kaitlyn to get outside for a few minutes, and to catch up on the boys' day as we walk home.)  We live close enough that I can see the playground from my front door, but far enough away that I can't hear the kids screaming at recess when I'm in the house.

My boys have officially been to their new school seven times, and still about every other day one of them will sniffle and say, "I miss my friends from Utah," or, "I miss my teacher."  It will take a little while, but we'll all get used to this new school.  And we'll still remember our friends (and their classmates and teachers) fondly.  Sniff sniff.