Friday, September 3, 2010

Refrigerator Papers have Been Replaced By Web Papers

Remember when we were kids - if you did something really well you got a "refrigerator paper" and it got hung up for all to see. With 5 kids in the house, that was quite the reward winning some real estate on the precious Fridge.

My parents still post Refrigerator Papers - these days it's a good medical report. No I'm not kidding.

I still have some of my kids' best work on my Refrigerator - a valentine they made me in Sunday School (yes in 2010...we were teaching Sunday School together!); a poem they wrote me for Mother's day in 2009.

This week I got two awesome phone calls/emails, 1 from Daughter, 1 from Son. Daughter had to read something by Aristotle then write something. Apparently the Teacher posts the reading on Wordpress and the kids respond, then they all read them and the teacher might comment. This week she only commented on ONE paper. Why yes you are RIGHT she left Daughter this comment: "Awesome!" And as a totally unbiased, neutral party, I will say there's a reason Daughter got that comment. Because while the rest of the kids were trying to figure out what Aristotle was saying (some wrote their papers on the fact that he is "outdated" and "Makes no sense," Daughter dissected it and made it understandable. God Bless her High School AP Teacher!!!!

Then Son called last night - seems in his class of 600 (600 in one classroom is why I sometimes fear his choice of school....) he submitted a slide for his Astronomy class. Kids can submit some interesting topic and the teacher chooses a few and puts them up. Sometimes they go up anonymously. Yesterday the teacher put two up anon and then said, "After this one by AU. H. no one else will want to go..." and proceeded to show Son's awesome slide on some topic he happened to notice in the Wall Street Journal that day. (I did not KNOW my son even ever HEARD of the WSJ, never mind reads it daily!!) Son was thrilled to have been called out by name and apparently received many texts from Classmates about his "awesome" slide. (I think it's an electronic slide b/c Son said something about including a video and something else he prepared). I am amazed on numerous levels here 1) He Chose to Do the Extra Credit when he's Not Even Failing! 2) He did the assignment with Zeal 3) He called his Mama to tell her about it 4) He enriches himself not just with Volleyball and Rugby [He made the Rugby team this week, too!!!] but with the WSJ!!!

They are far away, but they are where they should be. 2 weeks in and still bringing home Refrigerator Papers. I'm done bragging now. For today.... thanks for indulging me.

7 comments:

JO said...

That is awesome. I am glad that AU is engaging (I never worried about Sh...knowing that she would do well!). No Fridge papers for me from H....but he IS engaging as well, calling me with interesting things he has learned, new friends made (2-4 year wrestlers, and the like), and how he is integrating into his College and Wider community.

ChiTown Girl said...

Brag on, Girlfriend, brag on!!!

TAG said...

I hope you are never done bragging on the great things your children do. I know I plan to go on bragging as long as I am around to do so.

Enjoy your "empty nest" holiday weekend.

TAG

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

Well of course you had to brag. Those are seriously brag-worthy accomplishments!

Busy Bee Suz said...

I am so happy for both of them.
Job well done! 600 kids in ONE class? I have never heard of such a thing before.
Have a great Jimmy Buffet weekend!!!!

Hula Girl at Heart said...

Wonderful! Best of all, they called to tell you. See, you raised them well.

J.G. said...

Being proud of the kids NEVER goes out of style! I'm happy for you. Brag away!