Tanner

Tanners teacher asked the parents to write a letter to introduce our child to her. I thought it was a neat idea and can appreciate her desire to want to know about our awesome kids!

Dear Miss Walker,

Tanner is so excited to be in your class.

Currently, Tanner's biggest concern is how hungry he gets before lunch. I was wondering, since lunch is so late in the day, if he could bring a snack to school. Something healthy; like crackers or apple slices. No candy. Our old elementary did this and it was very successful. If not, I will continue to stuff him as full as possible in the mornings and hope he holds through.

Tanner has a passion for the the "X-sports". He skateboards, mountain bikes, boulders, and snowboards. He is not very competitive, though. I think this is why he does not excel in the more traditional sports. In soccer, for example, he had issues taking the ball away from the other team if the other player "barely got it". This is one of many examples where he manages to put other people before himself. This is a neat trait but I wonder if he forgets too much of himself.

Tanner loves the ocean. Well, he has an intense curiosity towards all creatures but the oceans creatures are definitely his favorite. Ask him about sharks and he will probably tell you all about shark week on the discovery channel or talk of something he learned from Zoo books. His favorite fact is that "sharks are made out of cartilage just like your nose".

Tanner is not the most excited reader.  I wish this was otherwise. Reading is one of my favorite things. I keep thinking it will come, eventually. Perhaps, he loves moving and making strange noises too much to give such a quite process much thought. He does better in reading if he can be creative; reading in a sing song voice or monster growl usually helps. He also will read better if the book is funny. We started reading the diary of a wimpy kid series and he is excited about those books. Any suggestions for other (more appropriate) funny books would be very  helpful in teaching him the value of reading.

Tanner loves math. He relishes in the numbers and adding and subtracting them from each other.  He loves art and using his imagination to create all sorts of large teethed creatures. He came home yesterday and drew a mean growling bear. He said something about how you guys are drawing it in class. His bear had huge teeth. Are all boys so fascinated with large sharp objects?

If I had to choose one thing that Tanner loves the most, I would have to say being silly. He loves to make people laugh. He is constantly making strange noises and saying funny statements that I am sure gets laughs from the boys and girls his age.

Thank you for letting me write this letter. I have had so much fun putting to words all the things I love about Tanner. Here's to a wonderful school year.

Regards,
Tanners Mom

Tanner with missing front teeth.