We are a month into school and Katie is humming, almost purring, with the challenge. Sure it’s been a lot of work but as she said, “Mom, I don’t mind working hard for smart teachers!” No truer words have been spoken.

For the first time since third grade, Katie has teachers who are actually “into her.” It’s making a huge difference. Katie comes home with homework that isn’t so bad. The deal is she wants to do so well on it that’s she actually taking longer than I think her teachers’ expect. She wants to delight them with her efforts and works really hard to go above and beyond.

But she also really wants their feedback. And they are so good about giving it to her. She comes home with letter grades on everything (her first time) and gets so excited when there are comments. The teachers are available to her during non-class hours and she has stopped by to see them to get help or clarification.

When I decided to let Katie go to Shoreline, it was with some reticence – I hadn’t heard good things about the school. But now that we are there, I feel like it’s a big hidden secret. The school rocks. And the teachers are amazing.

So I am letting her ride the tide of enthusiasm she has suddenly found for learning. She bores dinner guests after the meal as she teaches them about hominids and factoring. Hooray for a good start. Let’s hope this doesn’t end!