So I know it isn't part of the actual homeschool journey, but it does play into our daily life. Eden started her first day of high school yesterday. It was her first day back to regular school after three wonderful years of homeschooling her. All day long I worried for her. I wanted her experience to be wonderful and all she had hoped it would be. It was.
Our day started out rocky. We had backpack issues because the brand new one she had gotten didn't fit her things and we knew she'd need more room by days end. So we had to dig out an old one and of course it was pink. It used to be one of her favorite colors, but as she's gotten older she had decided she doesn't like it anymore. So here she is her first day of school coming in with a backpack she hates. That's not really a big deal in the scheme of things and she was a great sport about it as she usually is. Then her ride was late and I wasn't sure she was coming at all, so we had to rely on Grandpa to get her there and she ended up being late anyway. Thankfully they were understanding about it since it was the first day of school, so no tardy on her record. As Grandpa pulled away from the curb my friend Tiffany arrived apologizing for being late. She had hit that morning school traffic and didn't anticipate how long it would take to drop off her son and get to our house to pick up Eden. But it turned out it was God's doing since Eden accidentally left her report on the table that was due on the first day. So Tiffany loaded us all into her car to take me to school to drop off her report. God works in great ways.
All day I thought about my oldest baby on her first day of high school. I reflected on many of her firsts. I still cannot believe she's old enough to be a freshman. It just blows my mind. She's such a beautiful young lady inside and out. But I wasn't only nervous for how she'd do socially, but academically as well. I taught her for three years and now it was time to prove it was a job well done. I had decided several months ago to put her in Pre-Advanced Placement classes because I know Eden can do them. She has the brains to do them. It will help her immensely with college when she gets there. I finally had to tell myself that if she doesn't do well in those classes that it's OK. It doesn't mean I was a bad teacher. She learned so much more than just what books could teacher her while home with me. Her self esteem was mended. She was pulled out of school after 5th grade having stomach cramps from nerves and having gnawed off the skin on her fingertips. Kids had brutally teased her and yet she still made Principal's Honor Roll. At home she was able to relax and really absorb all she was learning. I feel she learned enough to take on the challenges high school offers.
When she came home and told me about her day I was so proud of her. She kept to herself some, but not to the point of being a loner. She listened to what her teachers had to say in each class and didn't get distracted. She had made a friend at a BBQ before school started who was in her Spanish class. They were to meet for lunch, but Eden couldn't find her in the sea of people in the cafeteria. Eden say a boy eating his lunch alone, so she walked up and asked to sit with him. They talked all through lunch. When I was a kid I don't think I would have had the guts to do that. When I told Eden that I was so proud of her for it her response was "I know what it's like to sit and eat lunch alone. It isn't fun." Wow! She told me all about her classes and teachers and she's so excited. She wants so badly to do well. Getting good grades is so important to her and I'm so happy about that.
I really think she's going to be just fine this year. Of course I'll always worry about my kids, but she did great yesterday. I'm so happy and proud.
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