What a difference a Year Makes

Chloe has finished her year of Kindergarten, so I've been reflecting some on the changes she's undergone this year. Most obviously, she's learned to read! When she started Kindergarten, she knew most, but not all of her letters. Now, she knows probably around 60 words by sight and then can sound out most any 3 letter word. She definitely had some struggles along the way, but now she's fairly good at the basics. She also has learned to write. She loves to play waitress and write down our orders. She writes phonetically, so the other day, our orders were "hambrgr & chare pi". They've also learned a lot of basic math skills, and countless other things. But the thing I've been marvelling at lately is the changes in her maturity. She was barely 5 when she started school, so she was one of the youngest in her class. It's been amazing to see her blossom throughout this year. She is now more independent, and less insecure and shy. She'll go up and talk to other kids on the playground or her teachers at Sunday school, whereas before she would have hung back by mom or dad the whole time. She's a lot better about following directions and obeying (not perfect, but better :) ). She's much more responsible and organized. She loves to organize her toys, or the pantry shelves, or the pictures on the refrigerator or whatever else we might let her organize. I'm very proud of my sweet girl and all she's accomplished this year and for persevering even though some of it was really hard for her!! And a huge "thanks" goes out to her teachers Mrs. Fannock & Mrs. Eggert who worked with her a whole lot throughout the year and helped her get through lots of ups & downs with her behavior and her learning!! Chloe, we're so proud of you and can't wait to see you continue to learn and achieve new things!!!

Chloe with Mrs. Eggert and Mrs. Fannock...They were great caring and loving teachers, and a great introduction to school and learning!!