Nick: What I Learned in Fifth Grade

I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of this kid. This year was a challenging one. For him. For me. If Nick isn’t interested in a subject, he exerts the bare minimum effort. Which means lots of nagging from me, and logging in extra homework time from him. While we both struggled to get through long division with decimals (ack!), he ended up with an awesome report card, and worked so very hard for it.

While his class (of 154!) doesn’t have a traditional graduation, they *do* have an awards ceremony. And as I listened to the teachers and Principal talk about the collective group of kids, I felt myself getting choked up. They all leave this school and embark on new adventures in middle school in the Fall. They go from being the oldest at school to the youngest, and the challenges begin all over again. But when they put their mind to it, together and individually, they can do anything.

And Nick? Walked away with one of the President’s Awards in Outstanding Academic Achievement.

This Mom? Bursting with pride.

This year showed continued interest in Math and Science. He had amazing teachers in those subjects and that makes a world of difference in how their students receive the information. As I wrote in a note I sent in to Nick’s Science teacher, his passion and enthusiasm for the subject matter is contagious and truly a direct result in Nick loving Science so much. Nick is still not a big fan of reading, and, for the most part, will only do the bare minimum, unless it is a subject he is intensely interested in (like any of the Guinness Book of World Records book, or odd fact books, for example). I’m hoping that he comes around eventually, but I’ll take the B in Reading in the meantime. Especially from such a reluctant reader.

Nick’s friendships with a few kids really developed more this year, kids that I love him hanging out with. Boys that are full of pleases and thank yous, and ones that are kind to Madeline, instead of treating her like a pesky little sister. In addition to Nick’s continued love of soccer, this year, he discovered new loves: track and acting. It seems that around every corner, there is something new that he discovers or delves into, and it’s fun to be on the ride with him, as he figures out who he is and what he wants to do.

As for the pictures above, he has definitely grown a few inches over the last nine months. And in his face, I see traces of “kid” disappearing, making way for a glimpse of “young man.” (Wait until you see the difference in Madeline’s first day/last day pictures tomorrow!) And although Nick’s sneakers did not survive the year (I believe we’re on the third or fourth pair now), the backpack and lunch bag did.

Hurrah for that.

And so, as I have done in years’ past, I quickly sat Nick down with the interview questions, so we could memorialize his fifth grade year in a little snapshot.

What was your favorite part of fifth grade? Getting nearly straight B’s on my report card (just one C+!)
What was your least favorite part of fifth grade? My teacher torturing us by making us write essays
What will you miss about school over the summer? Seeing my favorite teachers every day
What do you want to be when you grow up? An architect
What are some things you learned in fifth grade? A lot of new things in Math, like addition with large numbers with decimals, and doing long division with decimals
What excites you about going to sixth grade? Having a lot of afterschool clubs and activities that I can join
What will you miss about leaving your old school? All of the nice teachers helping me along the way

A look back…
Nick: What I Learned in Fourth Grade
Nick: What I Learned in Third Grade
Nick: What I Learned in Second Grade

Tomorrow? Madeline’s graduation and a look back.

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