When I was little, kindergarten was a half day. I honestly don't have too many memories of it, but I remember playing and doing crafts with my friends. I remember being picked up each afternoon and going to my grandma's or great grandma's house, having lunch, and sometimes even taking a nap. If there were standardized tests, benchmark assessments, sight words to memorize, and high standards, I certainly was oblivious.
For the most part, I'd say MJ is oblivious to the standards set in place for him as well, but I do know that he goes for a full day, certainly doesn't take a nap, and the teachers are overwhelmed with the amount of curriculum they have to cover! MJ began the year feeling very excited about going to kindergarten. We were so excited for him as well. Of course, like all parents sending off their first child to elementary school, it was very bittersweet. It marked the end of an era in our home. No more having all my babies at home at the same time. But it brought about some nice changes as well.
After attending MJ's Meet the Teacher night, he had a couple tasks to complete before his first day of school. He was to complete this All About Me sheet and decorate a surfboard for his cubby (his classroom has a surf/beach theme). It was so fun doing these little activities with him!
All set for the first day with a little gift for his teacher!
My sweet boy on his last night of summer before beginning kindergarten. He's still a crazy sleeper. :) So innocent and so much awaits him...
First day smiles and poses before leaving for school...
This pic was taken 7 months ago (sooo behind on blogging), and it blows me away how much they've changed since this picture. I think Charlotte's hair has grown 6 inches then!
Thank you, God, for this beautiful gift. Please world, treat him gently...
And there he goes
The school system here does a staggered start for kindergarten. Seems pretty genius to me! It was so much less overwhelming for him and for the teachers as his well. His teacher is able to take a moment with each child as they arrive, showing them the process of where to put their bags, how to unpack, how to check in, where to sit, etc. etc etc.
Receiving directions from Mrs. Kenyon at his cubby
MJ was then shown to his seat and was able to begin a coloring activity. No tears whatsoever. He was such a big boy and so excited for his day! Mat had to head off to work after we left, but I'm so glad that both Mat and I were able to experience his very first day together. Charlotte and Cooper came along, too, and Charlotte was the only one who shed a few tears I think. She thought kindergarten looked pretty fun! Her, Cooper, and I went to go grab some breakfast afterwards. Then, at home, she was such a sweet helper and helped me bake an after school treat for MJ.
MJ came home all smiles and happy about his first day. We let him pick anywhere he wanted to eat to celebrate his first day, and he chose Subway (or Subways, as he calls it). Ha! Then, we visited DQ for some ice cream of course!
Loved this kissing hand poem that came home the first day. Mama will treasure this one for years to come! His teacher read The Kissing Hand on the first day, and each parent had written a note to their child on a little handprint, that she later gave to them.
Not quite as eventful, but here's MJ's second day of kindergarten and the first official day with all of his classmates. Let the real fun begin!
A little kindergarten homework practicing recognition of color words.
So, kindergarten started off great. MJ seemed quite tired when he came home, but overall in good spirits and looked forward to going to school each day. Then, at the end of the second week of school this happened...
MJ woke up in the middle of the night sick. And this poor little guy was SICK to his stomach. He missed school for 2 days with the stomach bug. It really wiped him out, and he was pretty pitiful that first night. He bounced back pretty quickly though and seemed ready to return to school, but then things began to change.
It's way too long and complicated to begin to explain it all in a blog, but the gist was that it seemed like a switch flipped. Our happy, excited little boy suddenly seemed to change. It was like everything caught up with all at once and his brain revolted. The parents in us felt like the big move, the huge change in mental and physical expectations, and the tiredness really took its toll on him. He was acting out in a BIG way at home (never at school luckily), screaming (and I mean SCREAMING) and crying at night when it was time to go to bed or time to get in the car to go to school. He was demonstrating sensory issues, struggling with fine motor skills, being defiant with us, having toddler like tantrums and I am not dramatizing it any way. IT WAS HARD. Our hearts were literally breaking for him. We met with his teacher and the guidance counselor within a couple days of each other. We were so concerned for him. It took everything we had out of of us. Literally at the end of the night, when we'd finally get him to bed, we would just collapse. We had nothing left to give. It took its toll on all of us. I felt guilty to the other kids, felt desperate to help my little boy, and felt so alone in what we were experiencing, too. It was a hard thing to talk about. My friends, Meg and Mindy, were so great about letting me vent to them through texts and questions, and even new friends at church were praying for MJ. Jeff helped watch our little ones so we could both attend those meetings, and my parents would check in on him often. We kept feeling like it was just him reacting to such big changes and expectations rather than a true learning or behavior problem, but it's so hard not to doubt yourself. Finally though through prayer, patience, consistency, and time we saw MJ turn the corner. We kept a very detailed behavior chart for him with very specific goals. He was able to work towards those goals through positive reinforcement, and it really began to make a difference. In the overall scheme of things, the phase was pretty short lived. In the trenches though, it felt like forever, and I remember thinking I had failed my child by moving him here and putting him in a school where he knew no one. I'm glad I'm writing this now though rather than months earlier, while in the midst of it. The perspective has allowed me to grow in my parenting, see his overall development and maturing, and perhaps be more prepared for how intensely big changes may effect him in the future. I am so proud of this little boy of mine. He has worked hard and made great strides this year. He really has morphed from a baby into a little boy. You always hear that the changes in kindergarten are unbelievable. It is certainly true. I'm so glad we came through that phase.
I can now say that kindergarten is a positive place for MJ. He loves his teacher, has made some great friendships, and has really strengthened his skills. I'm amazed at how much his fine motor skills developed within a few months. He's now reading SO many sight words, reads books to us, and is so inquisitive.
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