Sophia in School

Here are the pictures of Sophia on her first day of school this year!

Although I try to emphasize the positive here, the truth is that school has been a real struggle for Sophia the past three years.  Her anxiety has, at best, negatively affected her ability to enjoy school, learning, and the other kids, and at worst, absolutely crippled it.  There were times last year -- having been at her school already a full two years! -- that she would go into the peace corner, and stay there the entire three hours staring at the wall.  We used her school checklist to make sure she would do things like eat her snack, do a work...do something at school, and it did help.  She still had good days and difficult days, but she did improve...slowly.  (I had a daily check-in with her teacher every single day last year.)

However, this year, something seems to have clicked in her little brain.  She goes to school happy.  She comes home happy. After a tear-free first day of school, Ms. Amanda pulled Sophia aside and had this conversation
"Sophia, remember your first day of school last year?"
"Yes."
"How was it?"
"I cried the whole time."
"And what about today?"
"I didn't cry.  I had a good time."

In fact, after the first week of school, Ms. Amanda was absolutely beside herself when Sophia had completed the following assignment:

Sophia is such a different kid this year at school; it's really amazing.  She goes to school with a positive attitude, she teaches the younger kids, she answers questions in a group setting.  She has taken several of the younger girls under her wing.  One, another girl named Sophia, she helps around the classroom, and helps her put her slippers on, teaches her the works, etc.

Another mom just yesterday, told me about a conversation she had with her daughter, Aiden.  They were talking about how some of the kids are mean to her.  So her mom asked, "Who is always nice to you at school?"
"Sophia is always nice to me."

We are so incredibly proud of our big kid.