10 Things You Should Know about Katie

Katie is student of the week (a designation that rotates throughout the class all school year). She's prepared a poster about herself and has packed five items for weeklong show-and-tell. I've written a letter about Katie for the class, a tradition at Bledsoe for second grade.

Steve and I wrote a letter for Cooper four years ago, when he was in second grade. (Read it here.) Even now he talks about the letter and how many of the details he remembers. 

For this letter, I'm on my own, of course. I think that Steve would agree with everything here, though. 

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Katie is creative. She’s almost always in the middle of a project at home. She likes to write stories, draw pictures, invent skits and plays, create sculpture, make her own books and more.

Katie is a poet. She likes to rhyme. She has a gift for using language to express the beauty of the world around her. Here are some of the phrases that remind me that she is a poet:

“If you're afraid of making mistakes, all you'll do is pretty much stand still.”

“People never run out of love. Love is everywhere in our bodies.”

“It's OK to be different. Everyone had a different path in life.”

“It's weird to think that baby seals start out so cute and then they grow up and eat cute penguins.”

Katie is musical. She loves to sing, play violin and dance.

Katie is adventurous. We have been lucky enough to travel all over the United States and even to Europe and Canada. She always has a good attitude about trying new things, such as riding a horse in the mountains of Colorado, kayaking in the Broad River in South Carolina, and parasailing over the Gulf of Mexico in Florida.

Katie likes to learn about words and languages. She often asks about the origin of words. She easily picks up phrases from foreign languages. She can ask “Where is the Eiffel Tower?” in French just like a native speaker. And she can roll the letter “R” to speak Spanish words beautifully.

Katie loves to help others. She is often seeking ways to raise money to give away. Last Christmas, she made and packaged homemade hot chocolate mix to sell. The year before, she sold her supply of jingle bells and puff balls. She donated all the money to help feed malnourished children in undeveloped countries.

Katie has big plans for her life. She’s been thinking of what she wants to be when she grows up almost her whole life. So far her list has included archeologist, teacher, marine biologist, zoologist and artist.

Katie loves the beach. She loves to jump the waves, dig in the sand and search for treasures. Her dream is to one day live in a cottage near the water in California or Florida.

Katie loves to read. She often wakes up early and stays in bed to read. At night we often read books together, like Harry Potter, The Secret Garden, Ballet Shoes and The Penderwicks.

Katie is faithful. She has had some sad things happen in her life, but she remains positive and cheerful. She knows that God loves her, and she is eager to share that love with others.