The Mystery

Throughout the school year, I help the kids with their homework most afternoons. It can be a trying time. There is a lot of it. Everybody needs help at once. They all talk at once. Maddy's math is just about beyond my helping abilities and I make Pa step in and work on it with her. Don't even ask what I think of this "common core" way of teaching! They use terms I have not heard and they seem to meander down the math road rather than the direct approach we used as kids.
Sometimes, however, especially with writing and language, they get an assignment that I love. Recently, Jack had to write a mystery, We discussed possible story lines for days. We talked about writing a good mystery by making it appear that one person did the stealing when it was actually another person who did it. His teacher loves lots of description so you really can see the room, know what the characters look like, etc. Jack settled on a story about a skateboard being stolen. It was a good story for a 9 year old boy with a plot twist. The title was "The Case of the Stolen Skateboard". When he brought home the story, written perfectly, it was in a folder with the title and this photo on the outside, I couldn't help but smile.
Jack, this photo should be titled, "The Boy that Stole His Grammie's Heart". This kid makes me laugh every day. He says things that are wise beyond his years. He makes me think.
You have my heart, Jack.
Please keep it forever!