She's off!!!

Last, first day of eighth grade for Miss Bailee.  Last night's Open House and orientation was great. Some new faces, some older faces but all were smiling faces.  Her year will be jam-packed and full of interesting, albeit tough courses.  She's taking regents Bio and Algebra!  You go, girl... Last year ended on a bit of a rocky note but all was "fixed and completed" and she's in Advanced math and science again. New teachers in Spanish, Bio and Algebra but a great homeroom teacher and motivator is still there! I know she will be successful😉 and I've thrown in a few motivators myself.

This is a big year culminating with a graduation (bridging) ceremony to high school and a class trip to Washington, D.C.  I'm a little jealous as I think my favorite class trip.....60+ years ago, was to the Shriner's Circus where I took pictures of Michael Landon and sold them to my classmates. There was an entrepreneurial bone in my little body somewhere!!!

Life certainly was different then.  Teachers in their shirts, ties and dresses (although 2 teachers last night wore ties...I was impressed) and we weren't allowed to wear shorts. Phones are allowed in school anytime but during actual teaching times.  Our cords didn't quite reach that far.  Kids today have 2 beautiful schools to spend their 13+ years in and each is given a laptop computer to use.  I went to 5 different buldings in my 13 years! The new STEM classroom even has FIVE brand new, state of the art 3D printers.  I was giddy when our teachers wheeled in the AV cart with an overhead projector.  No more dusty blackboards or assigned eraser cleanings... Prometheus boards have taken their place and just a tap of a finger brings them to life.  WOW!

These technological advances are just every day for these kids. The world is certainly their oyster and they can/will go as far as their ambition takes them. I hope they know how very lucky they are and take advantage of every single resource.

I still have a modicum of disappointment as many still do not (and won't ever) know the beauty in cursive, correct grammar and punctuation skills and where Mongolia is but I guess if they need to know, they can Google it.  If Alexa doesn't know, or Siri doesn't know....ask Grandma! She knows everything!!!