Today....was the last day of school for the first term....officially, we are now on 'summer holiday'!! Now...by "we"...I mean...Issei. Not me. Not Koji. Not the K-man. And by "summer holiday" I mean "you don't have to go to school for 7 hours a day"....and "yes, you still have homework pretty much everyday...and then some!!"
Yes...Issei's school is out for vacation until the first of September. The students will go back on 2 days....one being the teachers' payday (but the students don't actually get any money...I'm thinking it's just a good way to check up on the students!!) and the other being August 9, for the Atomic Bomb Memorial Ceremony.
Plus...Issei and most of the kids will go to school for the daily "rajio taiso"...or 'radio exercises'...at 6:30 in the freakin' morning...may I say "the butt crack of dawn"??? But...more on that particular aspect of summer in Japan on Monday (ya'll come on back now, y'hear!!)
Issei's report card was something that I wasn't really looking forward to getting. I love my son, but...the child really doesn't like to study. No amount of yelling on my part, or "dangling of the proverbial carrot" would work. At the end of the 4th grade, he got his best marks in "Plays well with friends." But, we were happy for those marks and celebrated them!!
So...today we were all quite pleasantly surprised that he actually did a really good job!!! Not a lot of checks in the "woot woot...you done good!!" column, but...he did get more in the "you did a good job" column than in the "oh man...you better get your butt in gear, son" column!!! (The energy I have spent trying to help him find his homework, do his homework, actually get the homework turned in and NOT stuffed in the bottom of his backpack, has been phenomenal!! It would drive a weaker woman to drink, I tell you!!!
I think what I was most excited about was the look on his face when he was looking at the card and actually seeing for himself how much better he did. I wish I could have captured the look on his face when the *wham* realization hit him that, why...my goodness....Mom is right...it DOES feel good to do a good job!!! Now THAT was a great moment in Momdom!!
One of the last projects Issei had this term was a sewing project. And if anyone out there reading this is from my high school and can remember how long it took me to actually get anything sewn, (I think there is still an unfinished dress or down-filled jacket somewhere in my stuff!!) then the following will come as no surprise!!!
Here is Issei with his new sewing kit....complete with the 'practice material' that he has to do and turn in.
Getting started took a little bit....this was taken right before a melt-down erupted. It really wasn't very pretty!!!
Mom trying to help was just NOT what he needed right then. Our main problem was that Issei doesn't have the English vocabulary for this particular activity and I was pretty much sucking in trying to explain in Japanese. ~~sigh~~ 
So...Daddy stepped in and showed the boy how it was done. Gotta love a man who knows his way around a needle and thread!!!
And then...after about 2 hours of stitching...ripping out...stitching again...he was finished.
And here are the things that he had to do.....sew buttons...tie knots...and then do some sewing of Chinese characters and his name. Not bad. And you can't even see the blood that I'm sure was shed in the finishing of this project!!!
Personally...I'm looking forward to the cooking part of his class.....THAT we can do!!!
7 comments:
I HATE sewing. It's so frustrating! And what did Carissa sign up to teach to her whole Girl Scout troop, SEWING! I had to teach them 6 things! It sucked!
Yay for the good grades, though. We went through that with Carissa last year. It was GREAT when she finally just did it and got the grades to show for her work!
Sewing was never my strong suit either, but imagine MY surprise that it's one of the things my daughter absolutely loves doing.
I hope the message of doing good feels good stays with him throughout high school :)
Good Job Issei:) and yes do I remember Home Ec class, Mrs. Chrisitie and sewing. I sewed a skirt..pleats were lop sided and zipper didn't zip quite right, never even wore it. Sewing and cutting up a chicken were my downfall. Still try to avoid both.
Shellie
My memories of Home Ec.are not so great either!The teacher made fun of my outfit (in front of the whole class)that my Grandmother had sewn for me..What an "inspiring" teacher she was.Thank goodness I learned to sew..That voodoo doll of her turned out great! ;p
What a useful activity. I could see where the language thing would be a problem!
Hey, your hubby is hot. Just saying...*grins*
kayla had that exact same practice cloth. I know that you know that I am a knitter and a quilter and a hand sewer but I was no help to her at all... she learned a specific way from her teacher and had to do that on the cloth... she did it all her self after several rip outs....and extra help from the teacher.
i guess all the report cards were ok, the hubble didn't do any shouting.....
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