Girl Goes To School

This Girl has been begging to go to school since Boy One started kindergarten four years ago.  She begged.  She planned.  She chose and re-chose outfits.  She gleaned important information from her brothers as to the skills/songs/behaviors needed to become the model student.

And, finally, the day arrived.

 

There she is, posing for Daddy on the first day of school; five-years-old going on eighteen.

We all walked down to the elementary school to take the boys to class and put Girl on the bus.  Without the slightest hint of fear she tromped straight up to the bus and climbed the steps, talked to her new bus driver about her new tights, and chose the seat closest to the front.  Her grin wrapped all the way around her face!

I sneakily walked down to the kindergarten and watched while the buses unloaded the kids in front of the building, and as the line of children wobbled into the school and drifted towards the foam blocks to waste some time before classes began.  I could hardly believe how confidant she was! 

She finally noticed me hiding behind some other parents and acknowledged that I was there, but never needed my help.  I ended up helping a few other kids with very wide eyes find their cubbies, their seats, their attendance markers, and open their crayons.  Girl barely even noticed me, she was so busy asserting her independence. 

I was surprised it didn't make me sad when she didn't even say good-bye when I left.  I guess we both knew how ready she was for this that enormity of it (all my kids in school!) seemed so nonchalant.

School resumes

The boys are in first and second grade this year, and Girl will be in kindergarten when it starts classes next week.  For the first time, we have kids repeating teachers: Girl has Boy Two's previous teacher, and Boy Two has Boy One's previous teacher.  Its kind of nice to start out the year with teachers that I know and are actually looking forward to having my kids in their classes!

Boy Two happens to have his best friend from kindergarten in his first grade class, along with a boy from his T-ball team (yay!) and also the neighbor girl from across the street.  His teacher came up to me after the first day of class and was amazed at how terrific Boy Two is.  Having never had him in class, she was blown away by his politeness / helpfulness / knowledge of routines / quietness / kindness with other students.  He isn't always like that at home, but I love to hear about how great his is elsewhere.  He takes school very seriously.

Except when he brings home the garbage from his lunchbox but accidentally throws away the Tupperware containers.  Oops.

Boy One was a little reserved and distracted by his new second grade class (which I knew would be the case).  He has thirty one kids in his class (!) and at least five of them are special needs kids.  In talking with the classroom aids, apparently there was an insurgence of special needs kids this year (right after they had their budget cut for classroom aids) and everything seems to be slightly chaotic.

Boy One doesn't have a lot of friends at school, and hardly anyone in this class whom he remembers from first grade or kindergarten, so instead he's choosing to spend time with his teacher while the other kids are at recess.  He's generally much more comfortable with adults than kids but it makes me a little sad for him.  I'm glad that he and his brother are so close -- he told his teacher that his brother is his best friend. (Cue mom's tears.)

There was a minor incident at library time when he wanted to check out books about trains and airplanes from the reference section and he was instead told to look at picture books.  Not his idea of fun.  But I'm on it; I've got a Plan B for library days.....

I'm glad that I will have mornings free to volunteer this year.  It looks like the school could really use the extra set of hands - especially with the special needs kids.  And if there's anything that I feel ready to jump in with, its helping those special needs kids.  I guess God knew what He was doing all along.....