I just recieved an email from Mia's teacher.... Here is a copy of it! But first, here is a little background...
Last year in 1st grade Mianna had a very hard year. She struggled behaviorally, which made her struggle academically. After consulting with a school psychologist, we found out Mianna has significant anxiety and depression... no surprise since Andy and I both struggle with this. Mianna would constantly compare herself to the other kids in her class, which made her feel inadequate, which made her shut down...literally, she shut down. Unfortunately we didn't realize she was dealing with anxiety until the school year was more than half over. We simply thought she was just being difficult refusing to do her work. Everyday was a fight with her... getting her to school, being at school, and dealing with her homework. So with that being said, we decided it would be best for Mianna to repeat first grade.
But this year is like a whole new Mianna! She gets up in the morning, gets herself dressed, does not complain about her shoes, socks, or hair! In fact, Hadley was complaining about her socks and Mianna tells her, "it might feel uncomfortable right now, but don't worry, it goes away, you just have go ignore it." At school, Mianna is doing great as well! (the email below will fill you in about this) And when Mianna gets home, she has 15 min. of free time, then without a fight, does her homework and it takes her maybe 15 min - 1/2 hour at most! Last year we were doing homework for at least 2 hours with most of it being a struggle! Mianna's confidence has also been better! She is truly like a new child! We are so proud of her! She is doing amazing! She is such a sweet, loving, caring little girl! And now that she is not struggling with school so much, those wonderful personalty traits about her shine like never before! Praise God for her and for helping us through this trial!
Here is an email from her teacher:
Hi Shauna,
It was great having you at school for GP's Day. It is always a nice remembrance for gp's to have that photo!
Kris asked how Mianna is doing thus far. This is what I wrote her. If
you have anything to add I'd love to know. I look forward to your
insights at conferences.
Mianna is doing very well! She is completing work well and on time.
She is participating. She is getting great grades on first grade work
such as spelling, phonics, reading. She is holding her own in math and
her handwriting has improved since last year. Her science and SS are
okay too!
Emotionally, I have not noted any problems of late. At one point a
while ago I could see she was flushed and rigid. I haven't seen that
since. She often comes up to give me a hug. I see her smiling. She seems
happy. I see her enjoying Angie, especially!
Her behavior is great! She is a bit quiet, but enjoys activities,
especially if I act a little silly! :) I see her as a bit of a leader at
times, especially in the afternoons when it's just the first grade
class. She takes the position of big sister at recess. The other day,
she had the option to stay in to help with a project we were doing. She
said it would be best if she went outside because she had to take care
of her sister.:) I thought that was sweet!
This past week she was the prayer leader in class. She was not
reluctant and did a nice job! She is loved by her family and I believe
she knows this. She is also loved by us in class, and I feel she knows
and loves God!
Hope this gives you a picture of how this year is going for her thus far. I think I could send this to Shauna for her info.
Uh oh! I was feeding Eli his oatmeal the other morning and he sneezed and it went all over me. Then, he grabbed my bowl and managed to dump it everywhere! What a mess! 
