Dylan and Adela recently developed a fascination with Greek mythology and the results have been nothing short of heroic. Not only do we have a new series of adventure chapter books to read together as a family (thank you, Percy Jackson), but we are also occasionally blessed with our kids engaging in hours of Greek God-based pretend play without adult intervention! We have indeed entered the Golden Age of parenting.
Dylan is, without a doubt, a son of Poseidon the Sea King, powerful and stormy. He regularly dazzles us with extraordinary feats, whether it’s a move on the soccer pitch or a complex math problem. And the stormy part? Well, let’s just say that his competitiveness can sometimes get the better of him. Like any good hero, he had a few quests this year, including a week in the high Sierra for his first sleep-away soccer camp, his first piano recital, a trip to Legoland with mom to see cousins Nico and Max, and (along with all of the other second graders) his first standardized test. Now in third grade, Dylan continues to love school – even the parts where he doesn’t get to have a soccer ball at his feet – and he continues to grow in his confidence with Spanish. But it’s on the soccer field where he really shows his stuff, as a high-octane, silky player and as a leader among his peers. We are really proud of how he continues to grow and mature… now if he could only make a pair of flats last longer than three months. Perhaps a gift from the Goddess Nike?
We had first thought to associate Adela with one or more of the muses. After all, her life revolves around the stage. After a winning performance in the spring show, Cinderella, her musical theater director asked her to perform with the older kids, so she got a speaking part as one of seven “young Fionas†in a production of Shrek: The Musical. She also started ballet training at ODC and voice lessons at home, she joined the San Francisco Girls Prep Chorus, and she performed a solo of “Lift Every Voice†to the Bethany church community. Yes, the muses have called to her. But then we thought she might be a child of Athena, since a spring trip to the Maker Faire and summer camps focused on robotics and zoo animals brought into focus her passion for science and discovery. Under the care and love of a wonderful first grade teacher, she has shot forward as a reader this year, just in time for the upcoming Read-a-Thon. And she claimed several trophies, including first lost tooth, first blue ski run, and the coveted throwing-away of the bicycle training wheels. In the end, though, Adela let us know in no uncertain terms that she is a daughter of Zeus. Simply put, she likes to be in charge.
Of course, she regularly takes that up with Jeannette, who was told many years ago by a Cuban Santeria priestess that she is a daughter of Changó, the African god of thunder and righter of wrongs. In that spirit, Jeannette transitioned to an exciting new job mid-year and is now the Director of Practice at the Education Trust-West. Nearly 10 years old, the Ed Trust-West is an educational policy, research and advocacy organization working to ensure high academic achievement of all students pre-K through college throughout California. For more about ETW’s great team and their efforts to ensure that all students, and especially low-income and underrepresented students, get what they need and deserve, go to edtrustwest.org. Jeannette also took a break between jobs and hosted “Camp Mom,†which the kids rated among their best summer camps. And she celebrated her twentieth college reunion with friends this fall.
While Matt aspires to the glorious victories of Perseus, he’s just happy not to have to consider himself Sisyphus! On the work front, Matt continued with his consulting practice, focusing more on helping states and districts develop stronger principal evaluation systems (see newleaders.org for more on that) and helping to create a new non-profit organization (see americaachieves.org, coming soon) devoted to making America a global leader in educational excellence and equity and to preparing every student for citizenship, college and careers. He is excited for the coming year when America Achieves becomes more public and he can share the work to support a set of districts and states to become “proof points†of large-scale success and improvement. On the personal front, Matt ran his second Cascade Lakes Relay in Oregon this summer and is theoretically training for the Great Ski Race in Truckee in March, though a bit of snow would help that cause. Where are the gods when you really need them, eh?
Like any good Olympians, we had our share of feasts, gatherings and quests. A few notables: We welcomed Doris – Dominic and Solomon Bannister’s mother from Sierra Leone – to San Francisco (a story that rivals any of Odysseus’ adventures). The kids and their soccer teammates got the rare honor of escorting the Mexican and Paraguayan national teams onto the field for a friendly in Oakland (not quite gladiators, but close). Matt’s siblings and their kids came west to welcome Audrey Sims into the world and we traversed the East Coast this summer, including the kids’ first Broadway show and trip to FAO Schwartz. Mimi and Pop-Pop indulged us with Thanksgiving in Carmel, CA (dare we say it was Dionysean?) and we celebrated Hanukah and Christmas in Tahoe with the LaFors clan. That was especially meaningful given Jeannette’s dad’s recent radiation treatments for prostate cancer. We are grateful that he is recovering and that everyone else in the family is healthy and well!
May you have a happy, healthy, peaceful 2012… and may the gods be with you!
Peace and Love,
Jeannette, Matt, Dylan and Adela