Midterm Grades

We are just over a month into school and Abbie is doing great adjusting to the new routine, etc. Her days seem really busy, but I think that she likes it. After school time has become intense because she balances her two part-time jobs, run club on Tuesdays and Thursdays, orchestra on Mondays, the weekly violin lesson (usually on Thursdays), daily violin practice, and homework. So, suddenly, she has become one of those over-scheduled kids that you hear about. Oops.

Anyway, she seems to be doing well with it because we received her midterm report card last week. Her grades were good, as you would imagine, and we are happy with them as long as they reflect real learning as opposed to last-minute pre-test cramming. The awesome piece to me, though, was all of the nice comments that her teachers wrote about her. Being as this is my blog, and I get to do what I want, I decided to engage in some good, old-fashioned motherly bragging by reproducing the comments here (feel free to roll your eyes and immediately close your browser!):

From her Earth Science teacher - I am so glad that Abigail joined our community this year. She is a great addition with a wonderful love of learning. There was no time lost by her getting into the rhythm of 6th grade. Her performance in the first half of the first quarter has been admirable, and I look forward to even better things to come as she grows as a learner this year. 

From her English teacher - Abigail is a wonderful addition to our school. She is a kind and polite young lady. I am pleased with her progress thus far. She enjoys English and is an active participant. I am happy to see that she is an avid reader. I enjoy teaching Abigail.

From her French teacher - Abigail is a very kind girl. She has a pleasant personality and fits in very well with her class mates. She is really motivated and enthusiastic. She is determined to learn French and works hard to succeed. She even does more work than what is required and comes in for help and suggestions. She participates actively in all class activities and is extremely conscientious in all she does. She is at some disadvantage in comparison to the other students since this is the very first exposure she has received to the language. Her class mates have had the opportunity to benefit from instruction in the lower school.

From her History teacher - Abbie is a joyous energy! She seems to love learning, and is doing very well at our school. Her curiosity is serving her well. She has found a solid group of friends, and she seems very happy!

From her Math teacher - Abbie is a wonderful addition to our school! She is a very polite young lady and has a wonderfully positive attitude. I appreciate her eagerness to learn and participate in class. She has a great deal to offer! I enjoy teaching Abbie!

From her Strings teacher - Abigail has been a pleasure to have in strings class. She adds a good amount of experience on the violin and sets a good example for the rest of the group with her skillful playing ability and her excellent classroom behavior. She has made friends quickly and can relate to several other classmates who have similar levels of ability on violin. She will will be welcome in the advanced after-school ensemble when her schedule allows.

So there you have it! I am really excited about her enthusiasm, curiosity, love of learning, and positive attitude. I showed Abbie the comments and she cut right to the heart of it by saying, "Don't they sort of have to say something nice about every kid?" I agreed that she is probably right about that, but I also think that I can spot the difference between comments that are diplomatically nice and comments that are more genuinely nice. Being a totally unbiased party (ha!), I think the comments above are in the latter category. :)