Your Strengths

Dear Lila,

As I mentioned in the previous blog entry, I had to write an essay about your strengths for one of your middle school applications. Below is that essay.

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Share with us what you believe to be your child’s special strengths, relative weaknesses, talents, extracurricular interests, etc. Take as much space as you like. We appreciate parental anecdotes and insights.

I still remember my parent-teacher conference with Lila’s first grade teacher. Her teacher said, "Lila is hard-working, kind, helpful, sensitive–all of the positive words I tell my kids to be, she is." I couldn't agree more: Lila embodies so many positive qualities!

One of Lila's strengths is her determination. When she was two, she was trying to unbuckle a stubborn buckle on her bag and squeezing it so hard that her body was shaking. I offered to help but she insisted on doing it herself, which she eventually did. Her resolve impressed me then and it has continued to impress me to this day. When I took Lila on a challenging bike trail last summer, she never complained about how hard it was but clenched her teeth, leaned forward and pedaled up every steep hill we encountered. When her class had a "Wax Museum" project, Lila had to recite her speech about Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She is shy and uncomfortable with public speaking but she rehearsed her speech dozens of times and recited it perfectly on the day of the presentation. As a student in the Gifted & Talented program since first grade, Lila applies that same dedication to all of her studies. She finds math challenging but asks for help, studies her notes and completes practice questions on Khan Academy until she understands the topic. As such, Lila currently has a 90 average in math and her teacher says she has very strong math skills.

Lila is also very responsible, so much so that my husband and I have nicknamed her "Second Mama." We have four kids and caring for so many children is a tough job but Lila makes that job infinitely easier. As the second oldest, she is always ready to help with whatever is needed, whether that is washing dishes or watching her baby sister while I cook. Lila knows what needs to be done and does it without me having to ask. I never have to remind her to clean her room or study for a test because she just does it. Similarly, Lila’s teachers always praise her for her responsible nature and maturity. She completes homework thoroughly and promptly and turns in optional assignments as well. When she had remote schooling during the pandemic, she woke up earlier than she had to and made sure to be on time for every Zoom call.

Another one of Lila's strengths is her selflessness. Once, I gave Lila and her brother each a cookie. Lila's brother dropped his cookie on the ground and without hesitation, Lila gave him hers. When Lila returned to in-person schooling last year and only one child at each table could remove his/her mask and eat lunch at a time, Lila scarfed down her food as fast as she could and often didn't even finish it so that the next child wouldn't have to wait too long to eat. When we went to an arcade this past summer, our kids were deciding how to spend the tickets they had won. Lila only took enough tickets to buy herself one tiny toy unicorn; she let her brothers have the rest of the tickets so that they could buy multiple toy army men. She is always thinking of others.

Lila has many interests. She loves art, music, swimming and baking. One of her favorite classes is Culture because she likes learning about different countries. Lila’s main passion, though, is reading. Lila has been a voracious reader ever since she could pick up her first board book and whenever she has free time, her nose is almost always buried in a book. She never wants toys for Christmas, just new books! In kindergarten, Lila even inspired her classmates to read more. Her teacher said that when the students arrived in the morning, the other children played while Lila went straight to the book corner and plopped down on a cushion with a book. Over time, more classmates followed her lead and started reading after they’d hung up their backpacks. Eventually, her teacher instituted an official "Morning Reading Time" where everyone in the class read quietly after arriving at school--all because of Lila!

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As you can see from what I wrote, I think you are amazing!

Love,

Mom