Tag Archives: school

School is Out!

My preschool ended right before we went to the beach and Faith’s school was over this past Friday. It was a busy last week but I couldn’t wait to be done – done with lunches, done with homework and done with getting up early and rushing around the house. Done!! Phew!

Faith’s last week of school was easy for her, but for me it was filled with a consignment sale and an end of year party that I had volunteered to help organize. I felt like I was rushing from one place to another all week. It was busy, but it was also exciting because it meant that the school year was drawing to a close and summer vacation was around the corner. I love summer vacation: no where to be be, sleeping in, and fun filled days with the kids. (Although I am a bit anxious as to what we will do to fill our days).

We were able to celebrate Faith’s last day at CDS with a class pizza party and awards ceremony. The first few awards went to children who read many, many books (not us), got a perfect score on every spelling test (not us), and even arrived to school on time every day for the entire school year (not us). The funniest part was when Mrs. Elliott announced that four students would get an award for being on time every day – Faith turned around to her friends and said repeatedly while laughing, “Not me! Not me!”. So true, Honey. We pulled up to the school each morning and were excited when we saw that there were still teachers out on the curb helping students out of their cars….this meant that we weren’t late. Minutes count at 8:15am. After those awards, each child received a certificate of graduation from the first grade along with a character trait that described them and a Bible verse to go along with it. Faith’s trait was “gentleness”. Mrs. Elliott explained that many people think that ‘gentle’ means ‘shy’, but it doesn’t. It means that a person is kind in word and action, and that it is a “fruit of the Spirit”. Faith’s friends described her as being funny, including everyone, and having faith in God. Such a sweet, sweet class.

Here is Kelsey Nelson, Jane Neil, Mrs. Elliott, Faith and Maizy Jones.

Faith and her buddy, Jane. I am going to miss Jane and her mom, Dorie. I know that they will miss us too. Hopefully we will continue to be friends even though we will not be at CDS next year.

I am proud of the progress that Faith made in first grade. She is reading well and does amazing in math class. She has made so many friends and has earned the respect of them all by being kind and gentle to her classmates. Faith truly does have a sweet spirit.

Now it is time to move on to Metrolina and second grade!! Good job Faith!

Schools Decision Update

As you know, when it comes to which school the kids attend next year we have many options to choose from, sort of. There are many options but not all of them have worked out. The options have become more and more narrow as the weeks have gone on. First, the kids did not get into Union Academy, which is a charter school in town. Then, they both were offered a spot at Metrolina Christian Academy. I had applied here during my short, but very real panic attack back around Valentine’s Day. I freaked out because I realized that they may not be going to a Christian school, which is what I love most about Faith’s school now. The woman from Metrolina called me one Tuesday and said that I had four days to decide whether or not I wanted to enroll them for next year or else the spots were going to go to the next child on the wait list. (We had already bumped Wilson down a spot once before because we didn’t want to commit.) I had to decide whether or not to spend the deposit money to enroll the kids at Metrolina when I didn’t know if we were going to move into a good school district or not.

I am usually able to hear fairly clearly what God wants me to do in life. I have no trouble knowing what He is telling me what to do each day, where to work, if we should move, etc. This decision, however, stumped me. There were so many factors: money, religion, us moving, us selling our house, public school districts, leaving CDS, etc. I had a really hard time separating out all of the many factors that were contributing to my indecision. I think I cried for a majority of morning that Thursday, which was my last day of decision making. I felt like I was determining the rest of their lives with this one decision.

I had to tell Metrolina by 3:00pm whether my children would be going there or not. I prayed that God would make it “abundantly clear” what my decision should be. Even at the end of the day, I was still unclear, and I still am, somewhat. I continue to wonder – Did God tell me months ago to “wait”, but I didn’t and now I have caused all of this strife in my life by not waiting? I will never know. What I do know is that I was emotional about this decision for many, many reasons. Probably the biggest reason is that I am a mom and I want the very best for my kids – just like every other mom on the planet.

A couple of events helped make my decision clearer (and the fact that at 2:45pm my mom and Tom both said “Enroll them!”) :

1- I cried every time that I thought about them going to a non-Christian school. This is not because I thought that they would be miserable or mistreated at a public school, but because I love the community of the Christian school, I love that the teachers pray for their students, and I love they look at each student as a child of God with different strengths, talents and weaknesses.

2- In Bible study I read the verse. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinth. 4:18 This spoke volumes to me in regards to spending the money on private school vs spending the money on a house and vacations. I may not be able to see with my eyes the value of a Christian-based education, but I will see it in eternity. I will know that I have given them a solid foundation in Christ that is immeasurable in earthly terms. The vacations and a nice house are not what are most important in this life. (Although, I am sure that God will provide for those as well.)

3- My mom went with me to the school to tour it one more time. I was going to go alone, but since I was such a basket case of emotions I thought it would be best to bring someone along with me. I value my mom’s opinion on just about everything (especially on Godly and financial matters) and knew that if she left thinking it was a good school then it must be one. The tour was given by a woman named Monique who was so sweet and kind. She knew my struggle to make the decision and empathized with me. At the end of the tour she held our hands and prayed for me, my children and my decision. Later that afternoon, my mom said that they should be going to Metrolina because it is important to send them to a Christian school during their formative years. Coming from my mother, and my accountant, that was a big vote of confidence that we would be making a good decision both financially and spiritually for our family.

4 – I didn’t want to leave it all up to us moving and being able to change school districts. (Maybe lack of faith on my part, but no one likes the unknown.) I didn’t know where we were going to move or even if we were going to move to a new house this summer. I didn’t want to send them to the school that we are currently zoned for due to the school’s late hours. I wish that there was a school that had only a 4-5 hour day. That would be perfect! I would love to homeschool, but I know that I wouldn’t be very good at it. The day would end with me saying, “Oops, we didn’t get to our work again today. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.” I have a vision of what a homeschool mom and family are, and we are not it – well organized activities, maps on the wall, a flourishing garden, well attentive children, etc…..not us!

In the end, all of these things added up to help make my decision clearer than it was that morning. We decided that we would enroll Faith and Wilson into Metrolina Christian Academy. As the weeks have passed, I am feeling more and more comfortable with our decision. Faith and Wilson both know that they will be going to this school in the fall and are excited to be together.

The bottom line is this: God is in control of ALL things. I have to have enough faith to trust that God is going to provide the money for the upcoming year(s) of private school. I need to trust that He will take care of my kids no matter where we live or where they go to school. Even if we change our minds this summer after we move, I know that my children will be taken care of and that they will learn to know and trust God in their day to day lives. I am thankful that we have the ability to make this type of decision. Never in a million years did I think that this would be something that would be an option for our family. I know that we are very blessed….no matter where we end up.

Schools

One of the biggest stressors in my life right now is where to send kids to school next year. Although I LOVE the school Faith is attending this year, we can’t afford to send two children there and Wilson will be entering kindergarten next year. We have decided to not send Faith to Covenant Day next year (which she doesn’t know yet). We may not even tell her until this summer when we finally know where they will be going. We have sent Faith to the Rolls Royce of schools and I am afraid that it will be hard to find that community and love of a school again. I know that it is time to say “goodbye” to Covenant Day and I am prepared to do so, but it is still a hard thing to do.

In Charlotte, there are endless options for schooling: very expensive private schools, expensive Christian schools, less expensive Christian schools, charter, magnet, and public schools. So many choices that it is overwhelming. Here are what we are choosing between for next year….

Option 1: I have entered both Wilson and Faith into the lottery at Union Academy in Monroe, NC. This is a charter school that is about twenty minutes east of us. I have no idea what the chances of getting in are. Wilson has a better chance for kindergarten, but Faith’s chances are even slimmer, assuming that there is even an opening for second grade. I won’t know if they get in until March 9th when they have the lottery.

Option 2: Metrolina Christian Academy. It is a Christian school in Indian Trail, NC that is about half the price of Covenant Day. We can get both kids in for what it cost us to send Faith to CDS, however, we are still paying for private school. As I have written before, I have anxiety about paying for school and often compare what we could have done with that money to what I got for schooling. Still, what we paid for Faith to be happy these last two years has been priceless. She has had small class sizes and amazing teachers that love her as a child of God. I was talking to another mom about how my cousin Maddie is very set in her faith and how she talks about it at the public high school that she attends now that she is out of private Christian school. We compared Maddie to my friend’s daughter who has been in the public school since second grade. She said, “I think [my daughter] has been in the public school too long and has learned to pretty much just keep her mouth shut about her faith.” That saddens me. I don’t want my children to get beat down into submission and keep their mouths shut when asked about their faith and belief in God just because no one else believes it or because it goes unspoken. Hence, my dilemma about spending the money and sending them to a Christian school.

Our last, but not least option, is to send them to the public school. The only problem with this solution is that we don’t know which school district we will be moving in to. We won’t know that answer until after we sell this house and buy another house (which is a completely different source of stress all together). There are many, many great public schools in our area, so this would not be a bad choice either, I hope. It is just the most vague choice since we don’t know where we are moving….or even IF we are moving. It depends on how quickly our house sells.

As Tom has said, “We can’t make a bad choice.” We are blessed to have the chance to make such a decision. Over the past few months I have prayed about this decision and I feel like God has been saying, “Wait.” So I have waited. I have put this decision on the back burner and I have done nothing – I have not even really thought about it. But time has continued to go on and I have gotten impatient with waiting. Last Friday I had a mini panic attack outside of the Trader Joes. I called Metrolina Christian to see what their enrollment was like for next year. They have one space in second grade and a short waiting list for kindergarten. I immediately thought, “Great! Now I have waited too long and this is not an option for us any longer.” I was in a small state of panic. I called Tom and we agree to apply to the school “just in case”. So much for patiently waiting. The one good thing that came out of this panic was that I realized how important it was for me that the kids go to a Christian school. Maybe it is because we had a such a wonderful experience at CDS and I don’t know any different. I may have the same experience at a public school. I don’t know.

All of this is to say that there are many unknowns in our life right now: Where are we going to live? Is anyone going to buy our house? Where are the kids going to school next year? Will we live in the country or right next to another house? So many questions…. all I know is that God told me to “wait”. I am waiting. And waiting. And waiting. If I think too long and hard about all of the options and unknowns then I will completely give myself a coronary. I have to put it in God’s hands and trust and know that He has it all under control. The other day a verse popped into my head that I had memorized 4-5 years ago. It is Philippians 4:4-6, “Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

I need that kind of peace. I am one of the most indecisive people I know. I have a hard time ordering from a large menu – so many things to consider: How much does it cost? Does it match what I want to drink? Is it healthy? Can I cook it at home? Arggghhhh! If I can’t decide on what I should eat then how can I decide which house to buy or where to send my kids to school?? Thankfully, God knows the answer to all of these questions. I just have to listen and take the baby steps that He tells me to take so that I can walk in the right direction.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Last Day of Work!

I have been working three mornings a week at the Little Church on the Lane Preschool since the beginning of November. It has been a bit stressful at times, especially when Tom is out of town. Because the church is towards Uptown I have to give myself thirty minutes to get to work, where as it usually takes me only fifteen minutes on Sunday mornings. The traffic was definitely a drawback to the job, but now I have come to enjoy my time in the car, listening to the radio or just sitting quietly after the chaos of the morning. It was an adjustment, especially since having the other two start school this year, but I have grown to really enjoy my job. I am looking forward to going back again next year.

When I first started the job, I thought that I would just be teaching two-year-olds and receiving a check for my work. I didn’t even consider a major benefit of the job: working and talking with other women. I get to talk and laugh with other women three mornings a week! I love it! This job has been such a blessing to me. Not only do I make money, but I get to have fun at the same time. The kids are fantastic and I enjoyed teaching each and every one of them. I also had the pleasure of working with Yolanda Chisholm every day. We had so much fun together! I feel so blessed to have been partnered up with her. We like each other so much that we are going to do it again next year. I had a hard time saying “Good-bye” to her yesterday. I know that we will see each other over the summer, but it won’t be the same as spending every other morning together.

Here we are in our brightly colored, yellow room….

All that being said, yes, I am ready to be done teaching for the summer. Mostly, I am just tired of having to get up in the morning and have to be somewhere by a certain time. I am tired of packing lunches and trying to get everyone (and myself) ready by 7:45am each morning. It will be so nice to wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and have my peanut butter and honey toast at the table instead of in the car or while standing up at the counter. Now that both kids are in school and I am working three days a week, I can understand and appreciate the need for summer vacation. It is a time to play together as a family and slow life down a bit. I am looking forward to going to the gym again, which I haven’t done that in many, many months. I actually went today for the first time since I started the job in November.

Little Church is so good to me. I get to worship there on Sundays with my church family and now I have another family there during the week. I am a very lucky/blessed girl!

Moms, muffins and Manicures

I went to Wilson’s preschool for the Mothers Day Muffins and Manicures event. It was very cute. When we arrived we found Wilson’s name and our spot at the table. First we put together a picture of him that had been cut up into puzzle pieces. Then we ate muffins and drank juice. We were seated across the table from each other so that we could see each other and then he could paint my nails. After the muffins he got to work. Orange nail Polish was sitting next to us so we used that one. I had a cocktail party to go to that night and was considering wearing orange so it was fine. Because wilson has an older sister he actually has some experience with painting nails. (He used to paint his own). He did a pretty good job with the first hand but had run out of patience by the sixth finger. Needless to say, I had much more orange on the fingers of the second hand than the first. I definitely had a bit of cleaning up to so before my party that night. Wilson was still happy with his work. Even two days later he is checking my nails to make sure they are still colored. I am not sure when I am going to be able to take it off without hurting his feelings.

Wilson and I don’t get to do too many things together just one-on-one. This was a fun little event for us to spend some quality time together and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Christmas Shows

Both Wilson and Faith had their Christmas show at their schools yesterday. Wilson’s was Thursday during school and Faith’s was Thursday night at her school. They were two very different shows. Wilson goes to a very small preschool at a church around the corner from our house. Interestingly, almost every preschool in town is at a church. That is just how it works here in Charlotte and the Bible belt. Wilson’s program was very cute and simple. Each class got up to sing a song or two. The theme was “At the Beach”. Unfortunately, every song was about Santa Claus and/or presents, except the one song that Wilson’s class sang, “Little Drummer Boy”. Wilson’s class came out with each of them beating on a drum and sort of singing. Here are a few pictures of him. Santa came after they sang their songs and gave each child a candy cane. Even though we don’t “do” Santa at our house and both kids know that he isn’t real, they still want to believe and they are mesmerized by a Santa. Wilson was no exception…..

Faith then had her school performance in the sanctuary at Covenant Day that night. The music teacher at her school is very serious and I remember being impressed when we saw her during our school tour. Last night was no exception. Each grade sang two Christmas songs beautifully. I could tell that they had worked very hard on them. Each grade also had costumes on that someone had sewn for them. It must have been quite an undertaking. The kindergarteners sang last and then joined in the finale. It was very sweet and well done. Every song was a song about Jesus and what Christmas is really about. Here is the video of Faith singing. She is on the far right in the front row. The theme was “Christmas Around the World.” They were from China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1QfTofbF3U

Wilson’s Activities and School

I know that each child is different. They each have a different sense of humor, different likes and dislikes, and different interests. As a parent, I can see that in each of my kids. Applying that knowledge, however, is sometimes difficult.

Over the last month I have really had to look at Wilson and determine what is best for HIM as an individual. I have come to realize that he needs structure and he needs to be involved in organized activities. Because he is the middle child, I have kind of let him slip through the cracks (in terms of teaching him specific facts and working with him in other areas).

It was suggested by a friend of ours that we look into putting Wilson in karate classes. Karate teaches discipline and patience, as well as letting the kids kick, hit and punch. Perfect! I called Taekwondo America, which is down the street and run by the father of one of Faith’s former classmates. He said that he never lets any child under 4 into his classes, but he would let Wilson come to one class, try it out and see how he does. Wilson rocked it! He followed all of the directions, sat quietly, and did everything asked of him. He also enjoyed it. He is now going to Taekwondo three days a week for thirty minutes.

On the other two afternoons he is going to “sports camp” at the YMCA. It is a forty five minute class that teaches the kids tee-ball, soccer, flag football, and another sport. He loves that as well.

Today, I signed Wilson up for preschool for next year. I had a hard time deciding where to send him and for how many days. I only sent Faith to school one year and for only two days per week. This is when I have to realize that Wilson is different and act accordingly. I think that Wilson will thrive in school. I have failed to teach him a whole lot here at home and I know that he needs to continue learning and filling up that little brain of his.

I finally decided to send him to Cross and Crown (where Faith went) for three days a week. I know most of the teachers, I know the Head Master, and I feel comfortable sending him there. I almost cried as I walked out of the church today after signing him up. I realized that my little boy is growing up and that I have to let him leave me a little bit. I love my free time, but knowing that he will be gone three mornings a week makes me a little sad. Of course I immediately began to question my decision…”did I do the right thing?” “Are three days too much?” “Will he feel like I am sending him off and don’t want him at home?” All of these thoughts flood my brain instantly. I have to remember that no decision is final. I also have to remember that each of my children are different. Wilson will thrive in school and I think that he will love going.

Wilson is a very busy boy right now. I don’t want to bog my kids down with activities, but for the summer, I think it is the best thing for Wilson, and for the rest of us.

The Dressler Family

A Day in the Life…