livin' the HI life: adjusting to the real world

Friday, October 4, 2013

adjusting to the real world - of first grade

today is the last day of ahonui's first quarter for first grade. i have to say - it's been a tough couple of weeks for our eldest. although this is technically his fourth year attending school (with 2 years of preschool and last year in kindergarten), this is really the first time that we actually expect a lot more - academically - from him. so i think that he was probably feeling a bit shocked and somewhat surprised about how school is truly supposed to operate.

if he could articulate his thoughts, i'm sure it would go something like this..."you mean i have to actually THINK, FOCUS, WORK, and APPLY myself?! that doesn't make any sense...school is all about playing with friends and toys and coloring. right? riiiiiight?!!"

the excitement at the end of each school day is evident in the time it takes to get to the car after the last school bell rings.

the real world (well - as real as it gets for a first grader) of applying math concepts, reading comprehension, science facts, and writing full sentences are coming into play now. and he didn't like it. the sad thing is that i wasn't aware of how much he didn't like it all - until i received an email over a month ago from his teacher informing me of his status in class. apparently our little boy needed a little nudge in the right direction...because he had no idea where he was supposed to be - focus-wise. and i don't think that was his fault.

this redirection of focus began a full-on pleasure purge for the boy. relieving our 6 year-old of any and all video games, iphone access, and television. the initial result of this? an uncontrollable, arm-flailing outburst of technological withdrawals. it wasn't very pretty, but in the long run has proven to be pretty effective. during a trip to the school playground one saturday morning, we bumped into ahonui's reading teacher (different from his general teacher) and she let us know that he's been put in the highest reading class! if that news isn't enough to make a proud parent jump for joy (or in my case shed a tear of pure happiness), i don't know what will. well, maybe a 100% on a math quiz...

outdoor play with cousins has replaced horrendous video game sessions

with the eradication of distractions, and the combined efforts of his teachers, counselors, and us!...i'm hoping that he is continuing to improve overall since that fateful email. we have set goals for him. we have a LOT of reminders in place. we try to encourage gently instead of by force. and from what we can see, homework moves along a lot smoother, concepts are recalled with more ease, and there's definitely a lot less tears and outbursts. so i'd say that's a good indication of improvement thus far. wouldn't you?

cuddle time & selfies are essential for good study habits...didn't you know?

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some stuff...

for those of you who may not know much about our family...this one's for you:

1. where are you from?

brandon grew up in kahuku, while i grew up just a few minutes away in laie.

2. so you must have known each other growing up, right?

not quite. although we grew up in adjoining towns, we had no idea that the other even existed! brandon graduated from kahuku high school in 1995, while i graduated from kamehameha in 1999. the only thing we had in common during those days was that my older brother, tane, was brandon's classmate. how funny is that?

3. when did you get married?

we were married & sealed for time and all eternity in the laie, hawaii temple on november 3, 2005.

4. where do you work?

brandon works at the polynesian cultural center and has worked there since june 2005. he is a musician for the canoe show, ali'i luau, and night show.

i work at brigham young university-hawaii as a financial aid supervisor and have been in that department since january 2005. i help students find money to fund their college education.

5. how many children do you have?

three, and they are definitely a handful! our children are the lights of our lives and we are trying to take things one day at a time. but we hope to give them a playmate or two in the future...ya never know!

6. who cares for them while you are at work?

my mother in law watches nahe & linohao in kahuku. and ahonui attends laie elementary school.

7. what do you do in your free time?

if i could wish for more of something, it would have to be that - free time! brandon enjoys getting in his gym-time and practicing his guitar. i love to cook and read...and weirdly enough, cleaning our place actually relaxes me.

8. favorites?

tv shows:

brandon is a non-stop learner. he likes watching the discovery, history, and national geographic channels...but if the UFC is on - forget the rest - he'll be watching the fight.

i am such a girl when it comes to tv. my all-time favorites are "friends" and "seinfeld", although thanks to netflix, i have recently found an addiction to the "gilmore girls". i also LOVE the food network. too bad i can't cook like those peeps...

movies:

ocean's eleven, mean girls, pursuit of happyness, the notebook, count of monte cristo...the usual chick flick classics...brandon's favorite movie is black hawk down. but i think anything with action and/or comedy is cool with him. hehehe.

music:

brandon loves hawaiian, r&b, soul, and jazz music. i'm into almost anything that soothes me, like sade, stevie wonder, miles davis, 'ol school slow jamz & 90's rap. don't hate.

9. plans of moving?

nope. i have never been happier here in laie, hawaii and i'm sure brandon feels the same. if we could stay here for the rest of our lives, i'd be a lucky duck. who wouldn't want to raise their children in the same place they grew up?

i may add or update this information on us from time to time depending on the demand. but if you have any other pressing questions that you would like to know - hollaback!