End of the School Year

Next Friday, second grade will end for Clara and Margaret. It seems like just a few weeks ago that they were worrying about having to attend a new school, and now they are fretting a bit about having to leave it. Both girls love their classroom teachers--a huge difference for Clara, whose first grade teacher didn't "get" her. That poor woman came to her classroom in November and then drove those children like Sherman through Georgia to cover all the material they hadn't covered in the first three months. I understand why she did it, but those poor kids seemed to have no fun at all. This year, she is having fun and learning a lot. Thanks to her teacher and the media center director, Andy Plemmons. She loves him and all the cool things they do in the library.
Margaret may be understanding why good behavior is essential to doing well at school. Still not really sure if she gets it. But her behavior has been so much better the past few weeks. She will sometimes fall off the wagon--yesterday, for example, she kicked a kid instead of asking him to move out of the way--but by and large, she is much improved. She loves Kate Wright, which is a bonus. Margaret does well if she likes the person in charge. I guess we all do.
Being out of work means I have had the chance to spend time with both of them. They each wish the other person would just disappear so they could have me to themselves all the time. Sigh. I hear from other parents how badly their children treat each other but it doesn't make me feel better. All I want for Mother's Day is a day in which the girls treat each other as nicely as they do their friends. Is that really too much to ask?