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Saturday, December 26, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Tear My Heart Out
Over a month ago, we did what we swore what we would never do - we sent a child to school. Our son had been held in the thrall of the aviation world ever since he'd had the opportunity to take a flight in a small plane courtesy of the Young Eagle's program. On top of that, the little EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) airport also sponsored an Aviation High School. Academics + Aviation = fun (to him).
When we were inspecting the school's website this Spring, we discovered that they were expanding to include middle school this year. Was he interested in giving it a go? You betcha!
Despite misgivings and worries and tugs at my apron strings, we enrolled him in the school. And at the end of August, he entered the scholastic world sans maman. That first day they began with a rally in the main hangar (how cool is that?) where the principal, teachers and airport staff welcomed around 90 student to their proud little school. I had my camera but didn't take pictures - even he knew it wasn't a cool thing to do. And, I did NOT cry as I left him there, but as I sat in a small library nearby with my daughter, I sobbed at a tiny table in the children's section. I had abandoned my baby! It hurt like nobody's business. After eight years of teaching, cuddling and coddling, I had let my eaglet out of the nest to try and fly!
I've never figured out how parents could let their tiny kindergarteners go...and it was so painful just at twelve! But as the days went by, I loosened my crazed mother grip (somewhat) to give him room to find a place in his aviation world. It has been somewhat of a culture shock - especially the work required in a short amount of time. He alternately exults and despairs of pre-algebra in this heavy math school. The problem is, they squeeze five days of academics into three, with Mondays and Fridays set aside as home study days. (This is actually a plus for him; as a homeschooler he is used to the discipline.) But he is used to leisurely learning, taking his time to grasp concepts. Now he must catch on quick, or be left on the ground! He can do it, but is in too much of a hurry to do it right!
He's made friends and learned that maybe he has some athletic skills after all (Football is the current favorite). And, the motivational carrot in all the scholastic frustration is...AVIATION!!! On Mondays, for half the school day, he can voluntarily go to the airport for aviation "seminars" (READ: play in relation to airplanes). His first seminar included a tour of the hangars and airplanes and getting to sit in a cockpit or two. To top it off, they went back to the computer lab to research and prepare a scrapbook page on their favorite airplanes. His was - no surprise - the F-15.
In the beginning, the drive was a killer for me. I was driving 30 minutes out and back on Mondays and Thursdays - and twice that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! By the end of the week, I was exhausted. But the last few weeks have greatly improved as we parents have teamed up to make a carpool that cuts the driving down significantly!
My nerves have relaxed some as he's made a place for himself. I also volunteer to watch the kids at lunch once a week to keep my finger on the pulse of the school. I must say I'm fairly impressed with the airport (the school and the kids are their special love), the principal (who works hard to know each kid personally) and the teachers, especially the aviation instructors who do it strictly for the love of aviation and sharing it! It is a way for him to more easily achieve his dreams for flight (he wants his pilot's license before his driver's) and is a marvelous opportunity for all of us to grow.
When we were inspecting the school's website this Spring, we discovered that they were expanding to include middle school this year. Was he interested in giving it a go? You betcha!
Despite misgivings and worries and tugs at my apron strings, we enrolled him in the school. And at the end of August, he entered the scholastic world sans maman. That first day they began with a rally in the main hangar (how cool is that?) where the principal, teachers and airport staff welcomed around 90 student to their proud little school. I had my camera but didn't take pictures - even he knew it wasn't a cool thing to do. And, I did NOT cry as I left him there, but as I sat in a small library nearby with my daughter, I sobbed at a tiny table in the children's section. I had abandoned my baby! It hurt like nobody's business. After eight years of teaching, cuddling and coddling, I had let my eaglet out of the nest to try and fly!
I've never figured out how parents could let their tiny kindergarteners go...and it was so painful just at twelve! But as the days went by, I loosened my crazed mother grip (somewhat) to give him room to find a place in his aviation world. It has been somewhat of a culture shock - especially the work required in a short amount of time. He alternately exults and despairs of pre-algebra in this heavy math school. The problem is, they squeeze five days of academics into three, with Mondays and Fridays set aside as home study days. (This is actually a plus for him; as a homeschooler he is used to the discipline.) But he is used to leisurely learning, taking his time to grasp concepts. Now he must catch on quick, or be left on the ground! He can do it, but is in too much of a hurry to do it right!
He's made friends and learned that maybe he has some athletic skills after all (Football is the current favorite). And, the motivational carrot in all the scholastic frustration is...AVIATION!!! On Mondays, for half the school day, he can voluntarily go to the airport for aviation "seminars" (READ: play in relation to airplanes). His first seminar included a tour of the hangars and airplanes and getting to sit in a cockpit or two. To top it off, they went back to the computer lab to research and prepare a scrapbook page on their favorite airplanes. His was - no surprise - the F-15.
In the beginning, the drive was a killer for me. I was driving 30 minutes out and back on Mondays and Thursdays - and twice that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! By the end of the week, I was exhausted. But the last few weeks have greatly improved as we parents have teamed up to make a carpool that cuts the driving down significantly!
My nerves have relaxed some as he's made a place for himself. I also volunteer to watch the kids at lunch once a week to keep my finger on the pulse of the school. I must say I'm fairly impressed with the airport (the school and the kids are their special love), the principal (who works hard to know each kid personally) and the teachers, especially the aviation instructors who do it strictly for the love of aviation and sharing it! It is a way for him to more easily achieve his dreams for flight (he wants his pilot's license before his driver's) and is a marvelous opportunity for all of us to grow.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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