Yesterday (Tuesday) Thomas started kindergarten. Sniff. Sniff. Wasn’t it just yesterday he was coming home from the hospital…learning to crawl…then walk…then talk…starting preschool…and now time has flown by and he is officially a kindergartener.
We decided to move him from his comfy, cozy preschool to the big, two-year old, fancy-schmancy public school. I hope it was the right decision. Right now he just looks so little in that big ol’ school. And yesterday was the day he had dreaded all summer. Thomas is not a fan of school yet – except the part where he gets to play. But he got a new book bag, and he was impressed with his classroom (well, the play centers) in last week’s open house, so he was semi-ready to check out this whole “kindergarten thing.”
I think he was adjusting to the bookbag and that’s why he was pulling his shoulders up so strangely. Mostly it was likely nerves!
In picking a bookbag, I let him select the one he wanted, but we both agreed it would be best to get a bag that would allow him to attach his lunch bag to his bookbag so they’d be easier to carry. The funny thing is, his bookbag is very light (he never has much to put in there!), but his lunch bag (with three ice packs) is much heavier. We’ll see how long he wants to keep it like this!
I should also note that we woke him up at 6:30 and we were getting in the car by 7:15. On most mornings, Thomas would still be asleep at that time. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge. But we arrived at school on time and he was even willing to pose for a few pictures.
By the time we reached his classroom, he was ready to rush in, but I had to make him stop so I could snap another photo!
After he put his things in his cubby, it was time to find his place on the mat. That’s his teacher (Ms. Churchill) in the white skirt. He was quite pleased to see there was a cartoon playing on the Smartboard. He didn’t even seem to mind that there was no sound.
I tried to get him to look at me, but of course he could not take his eyes off the screen!
Soon it was time for one last hug from his nervous Mommy (okay, maybe it was about three hugs!) and one last hug from his little brother. Parker told him, “I hope you have a good day!”
Then Thomas said to me, “When are you going to leave?” This was not said in a “Please don’t leave me!” way…it was more of a “Isn’t it time for you to get out of here already?!?!”
I’ll confess I got a little teary eyed walking him down the hall to his class and later as we left, but all in all, everyone did well. The most challenging part of the day was his little brother. He decided to wake up for the day at 4:45. He was all out of sorts in the morning, and then so bored when Thomas was not around. I begged him to take a nap after lunch and he insisted he was not tired. I made him go to his room and tried to get him to stay in his bed and “rest,” but he kept getting out and playing in his room. FINALLY, 30 minutes before it was time to go get Thomas, his room got really quiet. When I went to check on him, this is what I found.
A little closer look of his sweet face. And yes, this is about how Parker sleeps and how he has slept for most of his life…a thumb in the mouth and a hand in his hair. :)
I took him, sleeping, to the car and he was pretty grumpy and sleepy the whole time we were waiting for Thomas to come out (which proved to be quite a bit of time – about 30 minutes!), but once he saw his big brother, he perked up quite a bit! Thomas’ class was about the fourth (of five) to come out.
He was happy to see us there waiting for him (you may have to click on this picture to enlarge it and see it more clearly).
On the way home he didn’t have much to say about school. He said it was fun, but he also said it was “BORING” and “really long” and the teachers just “talked a lot.” He said the playground wasn’t that great and he didn’t get a turn to play in his favorite center (the kitchen center that has a cool little cash register).
Today it was very hard getting him to wake up at 6:30 (of course it wasn’t helped by the fact that he couldn’t fall asleep until 8:45 last night), and he again came home less than impressed with school. He said he told the teacher several times that he was ready for it to be time for him to go home. At dinner he got a little upset and told us he didn’t want to go every day and for so long.
I have to admit, I’ve had a tinge of regret and am questioning our decision to send him to a full-day school. I know he’ll probably be fine; I just want him to love school. It’s a huge jump going from a 3-hour program that is four days a week, to seven hours of school for five days a week. And of course, this is coming after a summer of doing whatever he wanted for all but two weeks (when he attended a camp at his previous school).
I know he will adjust…I know he CAN do it. I know his previous teacher had all the faith in the world that this is where he needs to be, and she did warn me that it would take a little bit of time for him to adjust. I just want him to be happy and I want him to enjoy learning and not dread each day.
I just wish I could figure out how these past five years went by so very quickly. Just yesterday we were meeting this little guy:
And now here he is….
Thomas, I hope and pray you will give it a chance. Dr. Seuss said it best by the title of his book, “Oh, the Places You Will Go!” Here are a few of my favorite lines…
“Congratulations! Today is your day! You’re off to great places, you’re off and away! …
…”Wherever you go, you will top all the rest! Except when you don’t, because sometimes you won’t.”
…“But will you succeed? Yes! You will! Indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed). Kid! You’ll move mountains!”
… “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!”
There is so much ahead of you, and learning all that you can now is the key to it all. Thomas, you are reading a little now, but soon you will be reading more and a whole new world will open up before you!
I’ll give it a chance too. I know Thomas is going to prove it was the right choice and he is exactly where he needs to be.
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