Abby Update #2

Well today was Abby's third day at summer camp. I think she really is enjoying it. She LOVES the fact that she gets to swim each day. She's getting so tan and her hair is so light. She looks absolutely stunning. She got a little owie today at camp, but she's a trooper and wears her bandage with pride.

I think the camp is a little bit of culture shock for her. There are a lot of kids at camp compared to at her school in Meade. I think Murad said there are only 13 kids in her kindergarten class (I'd love to teach a class of only 13 kids!) . There is also a lot more diversity here. We chose the City of Richardson as her day camp because we really wanted to expose her to kids from all sorts of backgrounds. Richardson is a property rich district (damn Robin Hood laws), but we have students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. However, Richardson does have high standards of excellence in academics compared to most districts of similar backgrounds:

"A July 20, 2008 article in The Dallas Morning News reported on TAKS scores for area school districts and included an evaluation of the results. The following is an excerpt from that article.

"Pulling meaning or conclusions from the Dallas area's state testing results can be difficult. Our evaluation of the 2008 TAKS scores revealed these highlights

"Exceeding expectations

"Last year, Richardson ISD won accolades for exceeding expectations in a district that serves many poor students. This year, the district continues to show that trend.More than 34,000 students were enrolled in Richardson this past school year, and nearly half were considered poor.When compared with districts with similar demographics, such as Mesquite, Carrollton-Farmers Branch and Garland, Richardson students usually scored higher. Conversely, Richardson students do as well or slightly better than students in some wealthier school districts. For example students' math and reading scores in certain grades were comparable to students' scores in Plano, McKinney and Lewisville.
(sorry I had to brag on my school district)

So, as you can see Richardson really is a great place not only for me as a teacher, but for the students. I think Abby is going to gain more than she realizes by attending day camp here. She's exposed to so much. I think traveling to different places is the best gift parents can give to their children.

Well, as any mother, I do worry about her. On the first day of camp she told us that a boy was bullying her. "What'd he say, Abby?" inquired Murad. "Well, he said Hannah Montana can't sing good, but I know she can. He also said I can't do karate, but I can." Whew. Imagine our relief to find out it wasn't real bullying, but just healthy competition!

Today she went to Celebration Station and the movies and had a blast. She has two more days of camp this week and she starts a new camp next Monday. This weekend we'll probably take the dogs to the dog park and also get her hair cut. Her bangs are way too long. I can barely see her beautiful eyes!