Going good so far

I was a bit worried about my sweet Avery going into sixth grade this year.  It is kind of a big deal. You have to navigate 8 different classes and schedules each term, understand seven different teachers rules and expectations, comprehend the curriculum and how it is taught, etc. Avery is a very bright boy, but he has always struggled with communication. So, if he isn't understanding something, it is often hard for him to explain to the teacher that he is getting it and then to understand the explanation is another issue.  His processing is slower and it take some real clarification for some things to make sense for him. That being the case, I was worried to send him off where I couldn't be in a direct line of contact with his teachers each day. This transition has caused him to grow up quicker. He had some frustrations at the beginning of the year, he was picked on and teased and some class work was difficult. He would come home each day and answer my standard questions upon arrival ,"how was your day?, were you happy?, did anyone make you sad?, did you make any new friends?, did you understand what they were trying to teach?....."  For the most part, he gave a good report back. There were occasions that things went wrong and we had to discuss what we could do to prevent them and if they weren't preventable... how to deal with them and move on.  I am glad that he has this opportunity to be more on his own and learn how to manage his situations without my direct influence. He is really maturing and learning how to deal with the things that he struggles with. He is really working hard in school and always wants to succeed. We remind him that as long as he is trying his best and not giving up.... that was good enough for us. He is a bit of a perfectionist though (not sure where he get's that!). He wants to do it more than the best he can. He works hard getting his work done and he does it with a good attitude. Each parent teacher conference, we get such great feedback from his teachers. They all tell us about his great grades and hard work, but they praise him for being such a thoughtful, helpful, sensitive and caring person. They just love him, as do I.  I would take a kid that is all those great qualities above one that is a straight "A" student with an arrogant personality any day.  He really is such a kind boy and will be a great catch one day. So, I guess I worried about the sixth grade transition for nothing. He is doing great and making us proud that he is our son.

 Two terms down, two to go!

Avery's most recent artwork. Worthy of framing and hanging on my wall!  :)

He would often get cramps in his fingers and hands from pressing the pencils so hard. He prefers the darker, filled in color, so it takes a lot of pressure and uses up a lot of pencils.

I wish I had his level of creativity and imagination. He used so much detail in this piece.  Each area is so uniquely different and uniformed. What an ARTIST!!!  

Avery wanted to throw this away. He said he messed up on the mouth, but I was amazed by it and said NO WAY!! and that I wanted to frame it for my craft room. It is my favorite!