11th Year

 

Baby Girl has started 11th grade at Bentley. This is the most challenging year in high school. Most of the kids are off to a bumpy start as they adjust to college level classes, while being a junior in high school.

Havana will continue learning art (photography) with her supportive and amazing art teacher. Havana has some impressive photography skills, preferring often black and white, and I look forward to seeing her work progress. She will also continue Spanish. I never pushed the girls to do anything but learning and eventually being fluent in Spanish is the one exception. It is Don’s mother’s native tongue and on my bio dad’s side, it is the same. We come from Spanish speaking origins. I want both Havana and Amara to speak Spanish.

Havana is the co-editor of the Bentley art magazine. Amara was involved last year, as was Havana but Havana now has a bigger role. I love that for her. She has a good eye and this will be a good outlet for her.

There are some tough classes which she has to complete; Human Rights and Genocide, being the first one. Difficult topics at any age can be challenging but add to that it being taught college seminar style makes it a big leap in learning style. I know she can muster through, despite some doubts. I love that our next big travel adventure is to Rwanda and Uganda, where she will visit the Genocide Museum and see first hand the brutality of the things she will learn in school. Some of the school lessons might click together when she experiences the museum. 

There is English, where is is reading Paradise Lost. No easy task but her teacher does his job excellently and so there is much to learn there as well.

Havana will probably manage the basketball team to get her PE credits. Sports are not her thing and I appreciate that there are options to get those required credits full filled. Sometimes in life we have to do things we don’t want to, while other times it is good to have alternative options.

Havana remains close with her friend group. She has a few solid and creative friends. This being such a delicate time of life for teenagers, having good and caring friends is almost as important as school itself. Small things like going out for boba after school can be as meaningful as support when you did not do well on a test. Havana has good friends who hold both spaces and she is a very good friend as well.

So here’s to her junior year, where she will start to think about college and learn and grown in ways we have yet to even imagine.