First Day of School
Sep 7, 2006

Can I just say T~T? Today is my baby's first day of school, he hasn't even been in daycare yet (though he has been babysat by family). Yesterday was orientation, lasted half an hour and the parents got to come too, which we did, well his step-father and I did. His teacher seems to be really sweet. They're supposed to be reading a book called "The Kissing Hands" today, and she gave each kid three stickers for their first day (without their parents), three hearts, one for the child to wear, and two for any two people of the child's choice to wear, so that we can feel connected even though we aren't together. I hope he continues to really like school *worries.* His principle seems really nice too, he came to visit the class yesterday, and said that he doesn't like to be associated with being in trouble only, so he tries to make an effort to appear once a day in each class, he also said that he would be reading the kindergarteners a story each day when he visits. I thought that was a nice idea.

The really interesting part is that, the school I went to in first and second grade has the exact same name, but is in Indiana instead of New York hehe, I think it's even named after the same man. I am kicking myself in the butt though, I was so nervous about all this school business that I didn't even think to charge up the camera so we could take pictures at orientation and of him getting onto the bus. However, one of our next door neighbors has a little girl who is in my son's class, she took pictures with a disposable camera and informed me that she got a few shots with both our children in them (getting on the bus this morning and both were first in each line--one for boys and one for girls when they got to ride the bus around the parking lot yesterday, and getting on the bus yesterday) and she would get doubles and give the extras with Michael in them to us. How very nice!

Michael was so excited this morning (after he had a few minutes to wake up enough to be excited hehe). He wouldn't eat breakfast though, so I'm worried he'll get hungry and cranky at school. I figure after he gets used to this he'll actually eat his breakfast, until then, I've sent a snack with him to school (papers I read last night said something about a snack time and told us to please limit it to one drink and one nutritious snack, as they only had 15 minutes for snack time, wish she'd brought that up at the orientation, how many kids are going to go to school without a snack? I had to scrounge myself to find him one, filled a water bottle half full and gave him a little baggy of saltine crackers, I hope that's nutritious enough ^^"

I'm also relieved to find out exactly what will be expected of him (I asked the teacher yesterday to be sure, better to get information from the source rather than those who think they know what a teacher wants). The doctor who saw him for his checkup and immunizations made me the most upset and worried. Michael knows his basic shapes, a few of his letters on sight, can count to 15 but not always recognize the written number, and knows several colors (some not so basic). Despite knowing all this, not to mention how to share, how to be polite, how to take turns (which was what I mostly focused on, his behaviour, so that the other things could be taught more easily, I considered teaching him the other stuff extra), she said he was going to be starting school off very behind. I explained to her that I had heard from an actual kindergarten teacher in Illinois that they were more concerned about the kids being taught how to behave and be polite, take turns and share, that they would teach them the rest. She disagreed firmly and said that kindergarten nowadays expects a child to go in knowing his entire alphabet, all of his numbers, how to read and write his first name, preferably the whole name, all of his basic colors, and all the basic shapes, including a hexagon. When I brought up that the teacher before told me that teaching Michael how to behave in a classroom setting was more important than scholastic stuff like his alphabet, her counterpoint was that teachers wanted you to teach your children all the basics because they start reading in kindergarten now, classrooms are overpopulated and they don't have time for one-on-one teaching, they have this entire classroom full of children to teach and some of them are bouncing off the walls, or talking when they shouldn't be, and generally misbehaving. My immediate thought was "Um...if their parents had taken the time to teach them how to behave in a classroom, instead of teaching them their alphabet, they wouldn't be misbehaving unless they had a problem, like ADD or ADHD" I could tell, however, that this particular lady would not have taken my disagreement well. So I just nodded my head and decided that with me to tutor Michael, if he is behind he should catch up soon enough, in the meantime we could work on the things she says he needs to know and then ask the teacher to be sure. Relief from the teacher (thanks!), she smiled widely when I told her what everyone kept telling us (left out the fact that the doctor said it too), and with a hint of laughter in her voice said No, that's what he'll be learning in kindergarten! It's always best to come directly to the source (which I immediately agreed with her on and said that's why I had asked her).

Up until that point, I was a bit miffed everytime I thought about it. If children were required to know all that before kindergarten, how the hell are the parents going to know until it is too late to teach them all of it? What about the poor parents who have no scholastic teaching gift at all? What about the poor children whose parents just don't care and don't even try to teach their child about life, let alone scholastics? All of these things were in my head talking to the doctor, but I didn't feel like getting into an argument with her (and I could tell by the explanations of my parenting and teaching approaches that she would not take resistance to her opinion). Good thing she was just the checkup to get him into school. I would NOT want her as Michael's permanent doctor. I would want a doctor who isn't a know it all don't question me type. I can't stand dealing with those kinds of people, let alone when they're in charge of my son's health. No thanks.

You can probably expect more entries on my various webpages from now on, especially these first few weeks or so. With the house empty and quiet, I can now concentrate on my writing, and plan to do so for these 3 hours a day. I don't really feel like working on an actual story or article this early, but I figure, using my webpages to get into the groove of writing these three hours every weekday, will eventually lead to enough of a habit that I'll start feeling the urge to write something creative. Who knows, it may even be the building block I need to write when I'm not the only one home and it isn't quiet. My computer sits in the family room, it has to, and I've grown weary of writing in notebooks. I miss the fast clack of my thoughts coming out of the keyboard and onto the computer screen almost as fast as I can think them up. I get a LOT more writing done in less time than it takes by hand. When Michael is home, if I try to write he comes out of his bedroom or comes over to my chair if he's in the living room for various reasons too often to get much done, because I have to pause to tell him "in a minute" or "not right now" or "mommy's writing, wait a few more minutes" or let him explain what he needs, and then, once that interruption is over with, I have to get my mind back into focus for a few minutes only to be interrupted again a few minutes later, it begins to get too irritating to try and write. When Delos is home, he likes the TV on, he'd shut it off for me, but I've gotten to the point that having anyone in the room when I write is too distracting in and of itself, when Michael comes to him and lets me alone so I can write, I'm interrupted anyway because of my mommy sensors. So, this is the perfect time to write!