Life in England for an 8 year old boy

This was going to be a big year for Nathan whether we were in Augusta or Whitehaven as he was going from homeschool to traditional school. As many of you know, Nathan took the announcement of our move the hardest however, he has adjusted beautifully. Kids are kids wherever you go I suppose, so he plays hard with the best of them at break time, is totally motivated by the merits they hand out for good behavior, loves the Golden Time (special learning games) and computers on Friday. He had a challenge before we got here with his penmanship but it has increased with their different type of cursive which they write in daily so he goes once a week with a few other boys to the learning lady for more instruction and practice. That seems to be helping along with the fact that he really does want to do a good job. Miss Agnew, his teacher, wrote in his log this week, “Nathan has had a super week. He seems well settled and is working extremely hard at all times. I really enjoy teaching him!” The girls have commented how well he is doing and are quick to point out that many people have been praying in particular for his transition to school.

Homework is a little light compared to Westminster so he has “Mom homework” most days. Although he has loved reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he’s not as enthused about the book report for Mom he has to write. I say, “How hard can writing about every kid’s dream be, come on!” Dennis says this is the blessing and curse of having a teacher for a mother. They don’t test kids at the end of units of study like we do although they do have weekly “spellings” test as well as multiplication and division fact tests. After taking the test, the teacher calls out each child’s name so they can announce their score to the teacher (but in front of everyone else) I don’t like that, must be the right to privacy in me or something. I felt bad for Na the week we were unprepared and he got 3/10 and had to announce that to his class. Thankfully, they give you a second try.

He still has chores here- unloading the dishwasher, wiping down the kitchen table, emptying the trash and taking it out to the curb, vacuuming the first floor. One chore he is rejoicing not to have is the dreaded pinecones of Regent Place. He has gladly bequeathed those to Creed Barrett and the other guys living there.

Of course the big sport for kids here is football or soccer. He is on a local team called the Whitehaven Amateurs. They practice weekly with an almost weekly game. Nathan is on the B team which he is thoroughly enjoying. The level of ball handling by the kids on the A team is quite impressive. He’s just thrilled to be playing and running around. The coaches are pretty positive. I get a big kick out of hearing them say, “well done” which sounds more like “well dune.”

We received our things from home last week. One item Nathan was most excited about being reunited with was his Bible. The night things came, he settled into a comfy chair to review and look though his Bible. He happily announced that he still knew the books of the Bible. He asked if he could read through the Bible in the next two years. “Of course, sure!” I said.(a little inspiration from Zachary Pareiz back home) When he went to bed he put his Bible beside him and commented again how glad he was to have it. I told him, “You wouldn’t go for a hike without a map so why would you go though life without consulting the map written by the Creator of life?” To which he replied, “Mom, heaven is the ‘X’ on God’s treasure map. You’re right , Nathan, good night.”