and the 2006 winners are.............

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that M's poetry submission last school year was selected from a nationwide children's poetry search to be published in a 2006 edition:)   (They only chose the ones they wish to publish, not all get published.)   

When I was in 6th grade, I had to make my own book, cover, binding, AND write the story.   I wonder where that is........   I'd been inspired by the Misty of Chincoteague story, knowing nothing about Chincoteague or horses at the time, lol.

But, my child is going to be published now:)   I'm happy for her!

(Okay, I have to mail in a permission slip for this, and YES, right where I put it, safely:)   M wanted to show it off to my mother/stepfather when we spent the day there yesterday, which, btw, was fine.)

Pine Tree Poetry

BTW, M submitted this herself.   What I found interesting is that she chose how her last name would be.  M has a double last name.   By common practice, and later even used in court documents, it's been hyphenated.   I always sign her up for things with the last name as the double-hyphenated last name.  Heck, I was even thanked publically for assisting with an event as Ms. (C's last name), rofl, and I've never taken his last name.   But, M submitted this, by her own choosing, with just my last name as her complete last name.   On the congratulations notice and permission slip, there is an area to correct anything they have incorrect.   She asked me if she wanted me to have her just fill out everything on it, make any corrections, everything except for my signature.  She was very excited she'd "won" this:)   I told her, sure.   I noticed later, she didn't change her last name to include his along with mine, her full actual last name.   She chose, and continues to chose, that her published last name be just the portion of her last name she shares with me.   Her choice!    Heck, she is eager for me to mail it in TODAY, too, not even wanting to take it to show her dad whom she sees this week.

I'm just pleased that someone else noticed the cleverness in M's writing.   She started four short stories this summer, three which I know about, and likely none will she finish.   But, she did complete this poem, insightfully noticing some of the ironies of life.   M has always had a gift for language(s).  

Last night, she was tired and fussed that she only got the math answers correct because I showed her how to do them.   But, does she understand what I showed her?   I try not to get frustrated, because I know she can do this, how is she not seeing this sometimes when I know she knows something, she gets this mental block and we both agree that she gets a mental block.   And sometimes I have to pause and remember that she is still new to some of these concepts, even if they come readily to me.   I KNOW she has a good mind for math, it's been proven, also, I KNOW that, even if I also know her well enough to believe she'll grasp more in-depth geometry the easiest, and not so much this algebra.   I sure hope she gets over this belief that she's not good at math, however, because she actually is, and I do not wish this to hold her back anywhere she wishes to go.

M just happens to excel more with her writing and language abilities:)   Maybe, maybe somewhere within that world, or as an enhancement to it, will be where she soars and makes her path.   Time will tell.