Megan's Essay for Connor's Admission to Cornerstone

My Wife is amazing.

Given this almost impossible task:

Write an essay that describes your child and why they are a good fit for Cornerstone Academy. Please describe both his or her strengths or weaknesses.

She was able to create an amazing essay. Now it might not seem that impossible, but think about it; you have to create an essay that talks about how great a fit your child is for the school, but also talk about his weaknesses are, and still balance the two.

So, here it is, my Wife's amazing essay:

I see my son as a very bright child who is not just interested in why things work, but how as well. We have always felt that the best way to answer the endless "why" questions that he has posed since he learned to talk was to give him the answers in a way he could understand, but not too dumbed down. This is why we wound up one day standing around my truck with the hood up, 2 1/2 year old Connor in my husband's arms, explaining to him how an internal combustion engine works.

Connor had asked how a car goes and when he was told that "stepping on the gas pedal put gas into the engine and made the car go", insisted on knowing exactly why and how! The best way for us to do that was with a visual aid - my engine block. We were sure he wouldn't digest it all - let alone retain it - which is why I was stunned to hear the next day at school that he was telling his playmates how an engine worked with the hood up on his play car. This, is feel, is my son in a nutshell. He will ask why until he feels he understands. Our primary goal for him is to find him a place where his curiosity will be encouraged and answered - not replied to with "just because", and then directed to sit down and stop asking.

I feel a love of learning is something that needs to be nurtured and encouraged. It's one of my favorite traits in Connor; that and his sense of humor. With both parents possessing a rather dry sense of humor, it is no surprise to us that Connor has it as well. He also loves to cook and can be found on a chair next to whomever is in the kitchen cooking. He will then turn around and later be heard repeating his cooking knowledge to any pet in the house who will listen, or failing that, many of his stuffed animals from his bedroom.

We also have encouraged a love and respect for animals that I find a joy to see in him. We share our home with two dogs and seven cats and he loves and is loved by them all. He shows great gentleness and care with all of them - especially our deaf cat, blind cat and very nervous 17 year old cat.

Not to say Connor is perfect - he is not. He can be short on patience and it shows sometimes, especially when he feels he is not being heard or understood. He is also posessed of a great knack for selective hearing which he can turn on especially at bedtime, or if he is being told to turn off Alton Brown (FoodTV's Good Eats Show). He can be shy in new situations and can be clingy to familiar faces in these situations. He also can be prone to tuning out adults if he feels bored.

This is one of the big reasons we are trying to change his school now. He is the oldest in the room and he is not being as challenged, learning-wise, as he could be. At home, he is beginning to spell and read, and do rudimentary addition and subtraction. In his class, however, the students are learning the ABC's and how to spell their names. Since this is something he can do already, he has been talking in class and generally not paying as much attention. I can't encourage this, yet I understand he isn't as challenged as he needs and wants to be and that this lack of challenge is causing his frustration. This is the most driving reason for why we want Connor to attend Cornerstone.

All in all, we have a very bright, articulate 4 1/2 year old who can be found at home cooking Alton Brown recipes for his dogs, his stuffed animals and anyone else he can find. He loves fishing and is looking forward to his first outdoor camping trip this summer. He can also be stubborn, snippy and sometimes sarcastic. But I am confident that he will do fabulously in the school environment provided by Cornerstone.