This girl, that toothless smirk, those buns she has insisted on for the last three days…everything about her is perfection. Every year I worry about the gap growing with her peers and friends at school. I worry we aren’t doing enough and one day we will look back and go “why didn’t we do more?” Last night was Back to School Night, an evening you get to go into your kiddo’s classroom and listen to the schedule of the class, expectations for the year, etc. The teacher talks about DRA scores (reading levels), what math they will be working on and all the things they will be learning that year. I immediately start sweating as she is talking wondering how Ruby will keep up.
Is this the year her friends start to notice differences? Is this the year the gap grows so big there is no catching up? I hung around after most of the parents left so I could chat with both her teacher and sped teacher to check in on our lil lady…and you know what? They pulled out writing and math journals and showed me all of the amazing things she has been doing…independently. They talked about how she has been mentoring and helping others throughout the day and how she is a true helper. I saw little tears of pride as her teacher was showing me some work that Ruby had completed, as she told me about how she noticed Ruby was using some of the skills she had taught her over the summer during their tutoring sessions to figure things out. They talked about how excited she gets when she knows she does a good job…and how she makes them smile everyday.
So you know what I am saying to that gap today? The gap that I fear ever year? I am starting to see it in a new light. What Ruby may fall behind on academically, she brings in other ways on an entirely different level. She is rockin’ this first grade thing, y’all. And you know what? That toothless smile will make anyone’s day. That’s what truly matters ❤️❤️
Ruby-toothless-smirk
Leave A Comment