Kindergarten

The school district we live in started school last week. Nearby school districts started last week. A few start today and tomorrow. I took great pleasure in watching on Facebook as the morning pictures poured in of kids waiting for the school bus or on the front porch with their back pack. I loved reading the status updates at the end of the day as moms picked up kids and reported back about the classroom, the teacher, the friends. Teagan starts Kindergarten today. There isn't much fanfare, unfortunately. We're making an effort to make it a big deal. Sunday night, Jeff and I read The Kissing Hand to her (thanks to fellow Indy Mom TriciaK for that idea). This morning, we took pictures in her new first day of school outfit, with her backpack on, and holding a little year/date/grade/name sign (thanks to Lana for that idea). I made her a breakfast of her choosing- cinnamon rolls. We will celebrate with homemade root beer floats at the end of the day. We haven't had to buy school supplies- but we did get a pencil box and pencils. We don't have to deal with the bus. We aren't worried about which teacher she will have. Last year, we chose Little Explorers as our preschool. Little Explorers is the best place for our kids and the staff and philosophies of the school are in line with our own. So it made perfect sense that we would want Teagan to lay her educational foundation here- in Kindergarten. One of the main reasons we chose Little Explorers was for Miss Sally. Miss Sally is the Kindergarten teacher and she is a very special woman. I won't get all the facts exactly right- but right enough that you will get the picture. She's been teaching for 35 years. She's been married to her husband a few years longer than she's been teaching. She comes in to school an hour before the day (and I mean the daycare day, not the school day) starts every day. Her husband comes with her and they spend time, together, doing things in her classroom. She brings in classroom pets- Spidey (the *shiver* tarantula), hermit crabs, fish, and a gerbil (or hamster or mouse- some sort of small furry thing)- and she takes them home on weekends. She has fun and fantastic ideas for these little people that are fortunate enough to find themselves in her classroom. Miss Sally has been part of Teagan's life for the past year. She is often the teacher in charge of the early morning kids- before the no-daycare kids show up for the day. So Teagan is already very familiar with her teacher and with the school and with the classroom. There is no bus. Mom and Dad Taxi Cabs, at your service. It's a private school and tuition pays for supplies. In some ways, it feels like we are missing out on some of those "first day of school" experiences. Then I stop and think about the last 5 years and 5 months. I remember her birth and the way she reached out to grab my finger just seconds before they had to take her from me to clear her lungs of possible meconium. I remember the way she nursed. I remember the nights, the long nights, of pacing and pacing with her, trying to keep her content. I remember her need to be so very close to us, as much as possible. I remember her little bald fuzzy head. I remember her first little golden curls. I remember all the ways that she has grown and changed to come to this moment, to this time. She is ready. She is eager. She is excited. She doesn't know what all the year will hold for her. But she loves to learn and she is eager to please. Today, my baby girl starts Kindergarten. There is no fanfare of school supplies and yellow bus trips. But it is still a milestone. It is still an important day, one of a long list of firsts.