Starting the 2012-2013 academic year here in Michigan was the last thing we would have thought when we left our home in Italy the beginning of the summer. A support deficit that was realized in our final two weeks of our scheduled furlough, was what caused us to delay our return. However, as we see the ever working, merciful and caring hand of God in our lives to work for our best and His glory--these added months are what our bodies, minds and souls needed. This forced delay and temporary encampment through the end of the year will be used for rest, restoration and refueling to prepare us for the work God has called us to in Italy.
You might wonder how our kids have handled such a dramatic and last minute shift in their lives. We praise the Lord, that they have embraced the changes and although they still desire to return home, they joyfully and with great courage have entered an entirely new school and structure of learning. We are so thankful for the wonderful school district and very friendly and helpful staff to make this transition as smooth as possible for our kids.
Samuel is in the fourth grade and his teacher is Miss. Sabon. He has passed his assessments with high marks and measures at an advanced proficiency level for reading and writing. Never having received any formal English teaching, this was a pleasant surprise to us to know he is keeping pace with the American standards. All you parents of MKs...keep encouraging your kids to read in English, it does pay off!
Pray for Samuel for his continued transition and adjustments. He loves school and loves to learn, but gets really aggitated when he falls behind. He seems to be struggling a bit to keep up with English dictation and copying from the board. We so appreciate the phone call from his teacher this week, to discuss the issue and seek to understand how best we can all help Samuel. He is our perfectionist and so desires to please his teacher, that he is too hard on himself if he feels he is not doing it 100% correctly. Pray for wisdom as we encourage and help him see that his best is enough and we love him no matter what, just as Jesus loved us while we were still sinners.
Emma is in the third grade and her teacher is Mrs. Scholma. She too is enjoying her school experience. A little less motivated on the homework side of things, but as her confidence grows in reading English this will hopefully become less of an issue. Emma has qualified for additional English Language Learning help and also has been placed in a reading group. What a help for her to have some individual tutoring to help accelerate her English comprehension and expression. I have had the privilege of helping out in her classroom and it is fun to see her interact with classmates and be a part of her education. Tomorrow I will go on a class field trip with her. (Go here to see Emma as the Star Student and here to see Mamma helping out in the classroom).
Luca is in Kindergarten and his teacher is Mrs. Lyon. At first we registered him for 1st grade since that is what he would be in if in Italy. Upon assessment it was clear he needed to be in Kindergarten. As it turns out Luca has the same teacher as Samuel when he went to Kindergarten for the fall semester back in 2008! Initially Luca was pretty unhappy about not being in 1st grade. He too is enjoying school, but every Thursday night he says he wants to stay home on Friday. The days are long and he is tired come the end of the week.
Adjusting to classroom rules was a hard part for him as well. I received a call from his teacher on the 2nd week of school when Luca got a "red light" for not raising his hand nor using his indoor voice after repeated instruction and warnings. I love that the teachers call and keep us parents aware of behavioral or other difficulties with our kids. We can immediately address the issues with them at home, which is so crucial to helping the teachers and children. By the end of the week Luca came home with a certificate for being a good example in Art class and then another one the following week for sharing his toys. He is finally learning his letters and desiring to try to read and write more too.
Thank you for praying for our children regarding this fall semester. No doubt the transition back to Italian schooling will be tough for them after what they are experiencing here. But when that time comes in January, we pray they will embrace the transition and that God's grace will cover them just as much then.
*As a side note. This has been a transition for us parents as well. We miss not seeing our kids for 1.5 hours during the day for lunch, but then again we have a lot of uninterrupted time now during our days. The other thing is that the kids were shocked by the American lunch schedule. 15 minutes to eat a meal is mighty tough for them to get used to! Riding the bus is a huge deal for them and quite the fun experience for them.
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