Wednesday, September 30, 2009

It's Going So Well!

Right now, the boys are happily tired, enjoying a reasonably healthy after-school snack of tortilla chips with salsa (HRH) and hummus (Gremlin) while watching Tom and Jerry. We just got home after spending over an hour in the school playground after school where the boys played baseball, tag, and climbed all over the structure. There were no tears and no yelling. And here's the best part; it's been like this most days for nearly a month!

HRH has adjusted so beautifully to public school first grade! He's one of just 18 kids in his class. His teacher is friendly, open, and informative. Each morning, she personally greets each member of her class by name with a smile and eye contact before ushering them into the building. Each afternoon, she ensures a grown up is truly present before allowing the children to run. In between, it seems that she keeps them engaged and entertained as she goes about their lessons. At the end of our first week of school, a simple little note came home letting the parents know that the kids were adjusting well and finding their way. You know what a whore I am for information and communication.

Getting information from HRH continues to be like drawing blood from a stone, but thanks to some good advice and a lot of pestering on my part, I know who sits at his table, that he plays Star Wars at recess with Aidan and Sean, and that a different teacher pulled him out of class on Day 2 to assess his reading skills.

Gremlin has adjusted remarkably well to five-day preschool. He is in a class with just eight kids, four of whom were with him last year. The teacher (whom I did not know previously) is friendly and warm - and finds my child delightful. In just the few weeks since the start of school, we're spending more time talking about letters and numbers. He's writing his name on everything and eager to do "homework" alongside his big brother.

Mornings continue to be chaotic but there is never a complaint about actually going to school. It's more the mundane tasks (brushing their teeth, brushing their hair, changing their clothes) that continue to create the usual dissent.

I'll take it any day. As Andy recently said, I've never been so happy to be wrong.

12 comments:

natasha the exile on Mom Street said...

Yay!!!!

Jennifer Suarez said...

I'm so glad to hear it!!

KC said...

Yay! Sounds so wonderful. I can't get any intel from J either. Very minimal.

Momma Hunt said...

Yeah congrats on a great transition back to school. I wish my transition back as a teacher was that easy!

sitting on the mood swing at the playground said...

What a great way to start the school year!

rachel... said...

Awesome news!

(Psst... don't jinx yourself!)

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

Glad your choice is working out for you! Hope it's a great school year.

sitting on the mood swing at the playground said...

Oh, and I love that they watch Tom & Jerry.

Otter Thomas said...

That sounds great. I only hope our transition to preschool goes so well in the future.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

That's great! I'm salivating over the idea of 18 first-graders--we've got 25.

{sue} said...

Oh yay! That is great news!

Mama Goose said...

Yay! So happy to hear you're breathing easier. So happy for you all!

 

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