Adeline has had a great couple of weeks! After hearing that there would be no possibility of Adeline moving schools, things changed and in the fall she will be attending an amazing, peaceful, child-centred private school which has lots of opportunities in music and the arts, a very culturally diverse student body and staff and a wonderful feeling of community. We are all so relieved and happy (and are busy cutting our budget to the bone to afford it). I recently volunteered in Adeline's classroom and it was worse than I had suspected - just so much physical and verbal aggression and a dreadful atmosphere of waiting for the next kid to blow and hoping it wouldn't be you that was the target. When I asked Adeline if it was always like that or if it was just on field trip days, she told me it was "Pretty much always like that - I just go invisible when they're being mean. There are lots of mean kids in my school". Poor thing. No wonder she's stressed out and tired and on edge after coming home from school many days. If it wasn't almost summer I would have pulled her that very day and started homeschooling, although I know Adeline (our social butterfly) would NOT have been keen on it and I know that she witnesses a lot of aggression but is very rarely the victim. After talking with the teacher, we did have Adeline given some more appropriate work to do at least for part of the day, which helps me feel a little better about her being there. For example they were all reading from the "A" and "B" level books, which Adeline could have read when she started kindergarten, and she was starting to dread her homework and her reading time at school. After talking with the teacher, she started giving Adeline "E" and "F" level books which are at just the right level of challenge for her and now she's eager to do her home reading. She's still spending a LOT of the day doing colouring sheets, but I suppose a month and a half more of that won't hurt her, and once summer comes we have lots of plans to follow her interests and do some exploring and learning this summer. Adeline is always very busy at home - you just can't stop her! She loves to write in her notebook and she's currently copying in information about each planet and doing a drawing to go along with the facts, she's decided to learn the colours in French so I made her a chart, she's working on teaching herself cursive and she is fascinated with the world map we put up at her eye level and she spends a lot of time looking at it and asking interesting questions.
Last week, Adeline played her violin in a non-competitive, but professionally adjudicated music festival and she did a wonderful job. She played two pieces, "All Through the Night" a traditional lullaby and then "Snooker Table" a very upbeat, fun and FAST song. She worked really really hard to be ready, she learned vibrato and double-stops and some tricky string crossings for her pieces and the adjudicator had so many positive things to say about her performance. The festival is serious business so there was no photography or video allowed, but I do have pictures of Adeline ready to go early in the morning and her enjoying a celebratory waffle and ice cream afterwards. David took Tuesday off work and we made it a day all about Adeline. I think she enjoyed having her Mom and Dad all to herself while Vivian stayed with Nana as much as she enjoyed performing!
We thought our festival experience was done until next year, but yesterday Adeline was asked to play at the Honours Concert on Sunday. This is a very big deal and we weren't expecting it, as they generally never have any of the little kids perform at this concert. The concert is in a real theatre with a huge stage. I'm nervous for Adeline, but she's just READY. I love her confidence!
So happy that so many good things are happening for Adeline right now. She deserves nothing but good things. She's an amazing kid and I'm so lucky to be her Mama!
Adeline already looks like a serious violinist in her lovely white dress. She is such a determine strong little lady. Wishing her all the best at her 1st concert.
Posted by: mimi lam | April 27, 2015 at 07:32 PM
Wow! So happy to hear all this great news. I think Adeline will thrive and blossom next year. She is doing very well, extremely well with her reading for Kindergarten. She is looking so grown-up and what a compliment to be asked to play in the Honours Concert. You must be so proud of you big girl. Keep up the great work and violin playing Adeline. I hope you love your new school.
P.s. Her being invisible comment is so sad.
Posted by: Elizabeth | April 27, 2015 at 11:07 PM
So, so happy for Adeline! You are an inspiring little girl, Miss Adeline.
Posted by: Bev | April 29, 2015 at 06:56 AM