Progress report from MES

Nicholas did not have class on Thursday because Mrs. Carrico had parent-teacher conferences scheduled for the whole day. She met with each parent to talk about how their child is doing in class. Stuart and I were very appreciative of the time she spent with us. She said that she has no concerns about how he is progressing. He is on target in the four areas of early childhood development: social (relating to others), cognitive, emotional (relating to self), and physial (gross and fine motor control). For most of the items on their checklist which is used for ages 2-6, Nicholas scored the highest marks as "consistently accomplished". Mrs. Carrico's written comments were: "Nicholas is our sunshine boy! He oozes JOY and spreads it to his peers and teachers! He is an enthusiastic learner with a kind and loving heart! It's a priviledge to be his teacher."

We're glad to hear he is doing well by the school's standards. However, that isn't as important to us as Nicholas' happiness and fulfillment. Fortunately, I think MES is doing well in this area. Nicholas loves going to class. He has so many friends there and he really likes Mrs. Carrico. I think he does well at home when I'm teaching him new things but he seems to be able to stay better focused in a school setting with someone else as the teacher. I think at this age it is hard for him to switch gears and see me as teacher and not just someone who loves to play with him all the time. He loves to learn new things and MES is providing this hands-on stimulation on a daily basis. While this formal education has an important place, I'm reminded of a quote by Albert Einstein in which he said, "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education." Now that I don't have as much free time with Nicholas, I treasure it more than ever. We still spend our free time playing, creating, using our imagination and exploring the world around us. There is so much to be learned just by living, reading, and experiencing our world first-hand. I believe it was also the great Albert Einstein who said, "Play is the highest form of research." So far, we have found a good balance between school and learning on our own.