I suppose I ought to say something about the fact that Phoebe has started Kindergarten. I think I’ve been putting it off because I’m still not quite ready for it.
The first morning was rough – actually, I’m going to say that the two weeks leading up to school starting were rough, with an increase of tantrums and tears on her part, which I’m chalking up to school anxiety. When the big day arrived, she woke up crying through breakfast and getting dressed (especially because she had to wear her PE uniform, which is just not pretty), and continued to cry until we got to the parking lot. We were early (I had to drop off some coffee cups for a teachers’ breakfast), so we had time for some first-day pictures outside of school.
Yeah, she didn’t look too happy, did she?
But, once we got in the classroom, she brightened up. She overheard her teacher say that she had just returned from visiting family in Mississippi. “I drove over the Mississippi River last Christmas,” Phoebe said. “And also, I’ve been to Myrtle Beach.” Then she sat down to play with blocks. She was smiling when I left.
She’s had full reports at the end of each day. “Gabi got a haircut,” she told me, referring to a preschool friend who used to have very long hair. “And I played with a new girl at recess. She’s lucky because she had a Lunchable. We looked for pretty stones on the playground. I forgot her name, but she has white hair.” Also, “There’s a boy in my class who is very bad. He doesn’t listen to the rules at all. He doesn’t raise his hand, and he didn’t genuflect in the sanctuary!”
Her teacher is new-t0-the-school, so we had a Meet and Greet a few days before school started. She emphasized several times that she thinks kindergarten should be fun, which is exactly what I think too. And sure enough, Phoebe came home Friday and said that her whole class went on a hunt for Corduroy’s Buttons (you know, Corduroy the Bear). That struck me as very charming – not least because Phoebe found more buttons than anyone else in her class.
So I think she’s going to have a good year.
And here’s why, despite the fact that I still am still kind of taken aback to hear my five-year-old talking about genuflecting – here’s why I love their school. On the second day, Phoebe didn’t want me to walk her into her classroom – she wanted to be dropped off in the carpool line, just like the big kids. So that’s what we did. She clambered out of the car after Mallory, and shrugged on her backpack, and headed off down the sidewalk in her slighty-too-big plaid jumper. I watched her until the car ahead of me pulled forward, and then I had to drive on. As I did, the parent volunteer in the carpool line gave me a big thumbs up. Meaning – she was watching my little kindergartener too, and she wanted me to know that she was heading in the right direction. That meant the world to me.
And so does she:
The first morning was rough – actually, I’m going to say that the two weeks leading up to school starting were rough, with an increase of tantrums and tears on her part, which I’m chalking up to school anxiety. When the big day arrived, she woke up crying through breakfast and getting dressed (especially because she had to wear her PE uniform, which is just not pretty), and continued to cry until we got to the parking lot. We were early (I had to drop off some coffee cups for a teachers’ breakfast), so we had time for some first-day pictures outside of school.
Yeah, she didn’t look too happy, did she?
But, once we got in the classroom, she brightened up. She overheard her teacher say that she had just returned from visiting family in Mississippi. “I drove over the Mississippi River last Christmas,” Phoebe said. “And also, I’ve been to Myrtle Beach.” Then she sat down to play with blocks. She was smiling when I left.
She’s had full reports at the end of each day. “Gabi got a haircut,” she told me, referring to a preschool friend who used to have very long hair. “And I played with a new girl at recess. She’s lucky because she had a Lunchable. We looked for pretty stones on the playground. I forgot her name, but she has white hair.” Also, “There’s a boy in my class who is very bad. He doesn’t listen to the rules at all. He doesn’t raise his hand, and he didn’t genuflect in the sanctuary!”
Her teacher is new-t0-the-school, so we had a Meet and Greet a few days before school started. She emphasized several times that she thinks kindergarten should be fun, which is exactly what I think too. And sure enough, Phoebe came home Friday and said that her whole class went on a hunt for Corduroy’s Buttons (you know, Corduroy the Bear). That struck me as very charming – not least because Phoebe found more buttons than anyone else in her class.
So I think she’s going to have a good year.
And here’s why, despite the fact that I still am still kind of taken aback to hear my five-year-old talking about genuflecting – here’s why I love their school. On the second day, Phoebe didn’t want me to walk her into her classroom – she wanted to be dropped off in the carpool line, just like the big kids. So that’s what we did. She clambered out of the car after Mallory, and shrugged on her backpack, and headed off down the sidewalk in her slighty-too-big plaid jumper. I watched her until the car ahead of me pulled forward, and then I had to drive on. As I did, the parent volunteer in the carpool line gave me a big thumbs up. Meaning – she was watching my little kindergartener too, and she wanted me to know that she was heading in the right direction. That meant the world to me.
And so does she:
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