Higher learning.

Yesterday, Mark and I attended curriculum night at Lauren's school. It provides parents a chance to learn more about teaching methodologies and what goes on during the school day.



It gave me a chance to take some photos of Lauren's classroom. She strictly forbade me from doing it before the school year started when we went to meet her teacher. HA! I showed her! In fact, I've resolved that I'm not going to tell her that this blog even exists. It will be our secret.

Like kindergarten, first grade sounds like a lot of fun. However, you can tell that things are getting a little more serious. The classroom decor, while still cute, isn't quite as warm and fuzzy as kindergarten. The kids no longer sit at a table, but they now each have their own desk with folders and textbooks. Lauren was very proud of her desk. Earlier this week, she described how she "organized" her desk so that folders are stacked on one side and books are stacked on the other. And sure enough, she did.

The biggest difference is curriculum. A lot more is expected of first graders. We've already had a spelling test and a vocabulary test that contained words like "supportive" and "distance." Right now, they're reviewing the simple addition that they learned in kindergarten, but by the end of the school year, they'll be adding two digit numbers together. She also has additional subjects like Social Studies and Science. The grading system is now A, B, C's and D's.



The theme of Lauren's classroom is "World Class Champions," and everything is related to the Disney movie, Cars.



The kids pulled t-shirts over their chairs so it looked like they were all sitting there in class. See the gray egg-shaped thing to the right? It kind of works like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." The teacher asks a multiple choice question, and the kids "buzz in" their answers. Once everyone has answered, a chart pops up on the screen that shows the percentage of students who answered each choice. The teacher can also use the information to run analytics that show who is answering correctly and who might need some help. Pretty neat, huh?



Here are this week's "Helping Hands." Lauren's current job is "Banker." According to her, she has to count fake money, but I don't think it has anything to do with Monopoly.




Here's her "About Me" poster that hangs outside the classroom. I was pleased to see that she included a drawing of Marcus. She's generally not too fond of him because he likes to steal her toys.

So it sounds like it's going to be another busy year. Thanks to Grandma and Pappy Bruno (who I know are reading this) for watching Lauren since Mark and I had to attend. It wasn't quite date night, but we’ll have plenty of time to spend alone together when Lauren’s away at Harvard.