One Smart Cookie

The end of the school year brings lots of pop and circumstance. The festivities began earlier in the week with the First Little Nguyen's class Author's Tea, and over the next few days we have lots of other little celebrations, awards assemblies and events to attend at the First Little Nguyen's school. We are so excited to honor his successes and achievements!

Waiting excitedly before the ceremony...

Living in such a large city, many of our schools are affected each year by the continous reassignment issues that plague the school system. Those issues are inevitable, and despite them the First Little Nguyen's school somehow manages to maintain a sense of cohesion and unity not only with its staff, but also with the families. It is truly a community of multiple cultures and religions, and we love that. Teachers and administrators don't want to leave and they love what they do. That fact shines through every day. I love that the principal greets us at carpool every morning and afternoon (by name), knows little details about the First Little Nguyen ("I read your canoe story!" and "How did your science project end up? Which salt melted the snow fastest?"), and even remembers that the Second Little Nguyen has one more year of preschool before goes to elementary school. This school has the feel of the elementary school I went to thirty years ago. Each year we are able to attend this school is a blessing. Of course, it could change at any time, but I like to tell myself, "That's when you beg the principal for a job, Sarah!"

After receiving his award from the principal. Sorry about the bad lighting!

This morning the First Little Nguyen received an award for academic excellence at a schoolwide assembly. Look at that proud smile! Trust me, we were proud parents! One thing we both love about the First Little Nguyen's school is the emphasis on the positive. They seem to have a good balance between honoring strong academic and behavioral choices, and not praising too much. Achievement means something, as it should. As the principal was speaking this morning he emphasized how important academic achievement is. While it doesn't guarantee that one's learning will always be easy, diligence and persistence in school help teach good learning habits that will hopefully stick with a child throughout his school years. I think the First Little Nguyen is very proud of his accomplishments. He does take learning seriously and is joyful about it, but he also humbly accepts recognition for it. That's the best thing!Congratulations, First Little Nguyen!
We regularly refer to our Little Nguyens as "smart cookies". And they are. So are a lot of kids. But it's a wonderful feeling to know your child enjoys learning and feels good about what he can do. It's gratifying to know he has set a straight course for himself, and we say our prayers and hold our breath in hopes that he will navigate his way through life similarly. He's succeeding right now, but this is the easy part. At least he has a strong foundation, and hopefully he will always come back to that. We try to make sure he always remains grounded, and that he never lets his accomplishments go to his head, but as his parents we reserve the right to cheer for him from the back row in the auditorium! (Or on our blog for the rest of our family to see!) Way to go, Smart Cookie!! We are so very proud of you.Posing with the Smart Cookies...