Tanner started Kindergarten today. Given his recent attachment to me I was worried he might cry. He has been really excited to start, and we have been talking it up a lot, but we both worried he may sob when it was time to actually start. He did great! It was so much fun to watch him. He picked out his clothes several weeks ago (the shirt he has on was chosen because "it is very soft and it feels good on his skin"). He wanted to "dress fancy" so notice how he chose to dress up his athletic shorts with the polo style shirt. Too funny. He had picked out a Boise State backpack and we worked to fill it with all of his supplies. It is almost as big as he is! After the standard pictures on the porch we all walked to school together.
On the playground we met up with his best buddy, Evan. They hung out a little but mostly Tanner kept to my side. We lined up when the bell rang and did the Pledge of Allegiance and The Harbor Pledge. The Harbor Pledge is said each morning before school by the entire student body, the principal, and the teachers. It goes like this:
I promise to behave in such a way that I will be proud of myself
And others will be proud of me too.
I came to school to learn and I WILL learn.
I WILL have a great day!
(Foot stamps and arm motion on the "will")
I have to admit I think it's a great way to
start each day. It was fun to see Tanner recite it this morning, having already learned most of it from watching Jake. Parents were allowed into the Kindergarten classroom for the first 15 minutes. The teacher greeted the kids and read them "The Kissing Hand" then asked us all to do this kissing hand gesture to our kiddos and say goodbye. We did, and even though Tanner gave me several extra hugs before letting me go, there were no tears- in fact I think I may have been closer to tears than he was! Brian and I were so, so proud of him and are so excited to begin his school years with him. After school we met him on the playground and he ran up to both of us and jumped into our arms for big hugs.
Jake started third grade. He walked with us to school, went in to meet the teacher with us and drop off his things, then ran off with his buddies almost immediately. We didn't see him again until after school. Both Brian and I commented on how far he has come in the last few months. There was no anxiety, no nerves, no repetitive behaviors such as we have seen in the past. At the end of the day he walked out to greet us and said, 'That was the best first day of school EVER!"
Being the first day of school we continued the Merc tradition and took them both there for treats. They were running a "First Day of School Ice Cream Sundae Bar" which they loved. We talked about their day, heard about their experiences, and took turns reading the notes home from the two teachers. We headed home and they worked together on Jake's "homework"- decorating his portfolio binder. Of course he decorated it with pictures cut out from Sports Illustrated for Kids and images from the web. We set the timer and the boys did their required 15 minutes of nightly reading.
Faith, meanwhile, starts her first day next Monday. But because today was her pre-K Orientation we decided to count it as her first day in terms of pictures, new clothes, etc... Notice the 80's clothes and hair? I'm not sure when she became a Valley Girl. The expression on her face seals the deal, though. With all the cute clothes out there for little girls, it was REALLY HARD to let her pick the one she wanted and not the one I wanted!! I think she was excited to be back in her classroom. She played with the playdoh and science center experiments and the "tomato heads" (also known as Mr. Potato Heads) then went to Miss Wendy's for the rest of the afternoon.
Even though this time of year always makes me nostalgic for my teaching days, this year I just kept thinking how lucky I am to have the job that I have. I was able to walk them all to school, spend time there getting them settled, pick them up, and help with homework. And between the two of us we will be able to be there almost every day for these things. For two full-time working parents I think this is an anomaly and one that I am most grateful for.
Faith, meanwhile, starts her first day next Monday. But because today was her pre-K Orientation we decided to count it as her first day in terms of pictures, new clothes, etc... Notice the 80's clothes and hair? I'm not sure when she became a Valley Girl. The expression on her face seals the deal, though. With all the cute clothes out there for little girls, it was REALLY HARD to let her pick the one she wanted and not the one I wanted!! I think she was excited to be back in her classroom. She played with the playdoh and science center experiments and the "tomato heads" (also known as Mr. Potato Heads) then went to Miss Wendy's for the rest of the afternoon.
Even though this time of year always makes me nostalgic for my teaching days, this year I just kept thinking how lucky I am to have the job that I have. I was able to walk them all to school, spend time there getting them settled, pick them up, and help with homework. And between the two of us we will be able to be there almost every day for these things. For two full-time working parents I think this is an anomaly and one that I am most grateful for.
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