Cheyenne has really been enjoying her new school.  Every day I hear about all the great discussions and projects they get to do and about how much she likes her teachers.  Mostly though I hear about Mrs. Bestge, Cheyenne’s  reading and writing teacher.  Mrs. Bestge has emerged as Cheyenne’s favorite.

I can tell already that in the hierarchy of influential adults in Cheyenne’s life Mrs. Bestge is headed to the top ten – she will undoubtedly be the teacher that Cheyenne remembers when she is 80.  It is heartening to see a truly inspired educator have such an impact on a kid.  All the educators at STEM seem to be of the same ilk – passionate about teaching and fabulous role models for the kids.

As ecstatic as I am about the excellence at STEM I realized in fairly short order that I was going to have to up my game at home.  Cheyenne already received the letter from the President in fifth grade (see Smarter than the average fifth grader…) and that made my life difficult enough.  Now she is surrounded by expansive and innovative thinkers (in both the faculty and students at STEM) and is being challenged daily to push beyond any of her perceived limits.  This is phenomenal for Cheyenne and the other students, but what it means for the parents of STEM students is that we also have to expand exponentially.

As I have shared before, my possession of a J.D. and Ph.D. mean nothing to Cheyenne.  To her I am just her sometimes cool, but mostly fairly odd parent – to her I am the buyer of things, the transporter of friends, the preparer of meals and the general caretaker – to her I am nothing more and nothing less than Mom. So I really have to earn my intellectual respect around Cheyenne the same way her teachers do and let me tell you – some days it just isn’t easy.  I can’t just tell her I know something and she should believe me – she wants proof.   Furthermore, if one of her teachers told her something contrary (or she interpreted what they said as being contrary) I need Arne Duncan the U.S. Secretary of Education to come and back me up to make any leeway with her – otherwise the teacher wins – period.

I surmise worse things could happen than my child being strongly influenced by great educators, so I just try and keep up and retain some of my intellectual dignity.  Albeit, some days I feel obliged to comment about the state of affairs in the brain chain hierarchy in Cheyenne’s world.  I did so a couple of weeks ago having heard for the 100th time about the amazing Mrs. Bestge.   I said – mostly to myself, but still out loud – “Well clearly, Mrs. Bestge walks on water.”  Cheyenne took umbrage with that.  She thought it was a derogatory statement toward Mrs. Bestge and she was having none of that.  I tried to explain that the statement meant that Mrs. Bestge was extraordinarily special, but that went nowhere.  Per Cheyenne, no one walks on water – hence the statement is ridiculous and not worthy of being attached in any form or fashion to the beloved Mrs. Bestge.

What do I know?  I am just her silly old mom who has a couple of doctoral level degrees…I am no Mrs. Bestge.  Regardless,  I stand by my statement despite Cheyenne’s consternation – Mrs. Bestge walks on water – and as Martha Stewart would say, “That’s a good thing.”

Day four hundred and fifty-seven of the new forty – obla di obla da

Ms. C