Open House at Wanda Gray

We walked over to school with the Dancey family a couple of weeks ago (I'm playing catch-up on my blogging) for Open House at Wanda Gray Elementary. Macauley has always been really pr0ud of his school, and it is a really positive, colorful, nurturing place, I think.

First stop was Room 123, where Macauley's Star Student poster welcomed everyone into Mrs. Hanson's first grade classroom.

We got the tour of the room, with all the major highlights, including Macauley's desk.

Peeking inside took me right back to my own fourth grade classroom at Eunice Thomas Elementary in Cassville. I'm not sure why, but the image of Macauley's little books and tiny pencil in the same desks I remember sitting in as an elementary student reminded me so much of how important I felt it was to keep a tidy desk, with everything lined up just so.

The class seems to work quite a bit on the date and days of the week and all those basic life management concepts. Macauley always knows what the date is, even when I don't. And just like I remember from my own elementary days, the responsibilities are doled out each week. Wasn't it fun to have an important job for the week?

After a stop in the reading corner, we got to have a look at a variety of Macauley's work posted around the classroom, including this bio and the attached self portrait.

The highlight of the evening, though, was getting to meet Hannah, the crush of the year we've been hearing so much about. She is actually the niece of Ryan's college roommate and we both went to Drury with her dad. Macauley has asked me several times if I will love Hannah if they get married. How could I not?

She's on his mind quite a bit evidently--these are doodles all over the back of an important writing assignment Macauley had to turn in recently.

We also got to meet another new friend, Brandon, who came over to play one day after school not long after.

We've been to the school a number of times, but Macauley still wanted to show us every place that is a part of his life there. So we went to the library...

...and art and music and computers (Macauley was getting irritated with my picture-taking) then ended up in the gym, complete with a rock climbing wall. He asked Ryan and me if we had one of those when we were in school. Ryan said, "Yeah, but it was just an actual rock." I know we didn't have as many fancy things when I was in school, but I still enjoyed it. I'm so glad Macauley likes school, too. It really means so much to me to know he's happy there all day while we are apart.