A Note to My Son's Teacher

Happy first day of school. It's such an exciting time of year... for the kids, the teachers and the parents.

I want you to know that my son has all of the required items from the list in his backpack... The pencils are sharpened, each item has his name on it (yes, each crayon, eraser and pencil crayon) and I put fancy laces in his shoes because he can't tie them himself yet. I went to three stores to get the right glue sticks. I got him to bed on time last night. 

He. Is. Ready. 

Or is he? 

You see, he has a lot of great skills.... But letters and printing and sitting quietly aren't on the list. I can't imagine him sitting through a spelling test. Maybe he will luck out and not get one this year. :) 

He is unique and quirky and will amaze you often. He loves to play and imagine and create. 

I ask that you please take the time to get to know him... To REALLY get to know him. Find something to connect with him. And I ask that you just love him. For who he is. Focus on his strengths rather than his weaknesses. I hope that you reserve a special place in your heart just for him. I hope he's "that kid" that you wonder about years later. 

Be good to my boy. He's precious beyond words. 

I know you understand, because you're a mom too. And you were probably up late worrying about your kids just like I was. 

And know that I understand. Because I'm a teacher too. And as much as I'm excited to meet my new students tomorrow.... My mind will be with my little boy.

I hope you're ready for him. 

Have a wonderful year. Thank you for taking him under your wing and teaching him to fly. 

- Sincerely, J's mommy

:)

One Down.... 178ish to Go!

Well.... the moment we've all been waiting for... THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

Last week was "Staggered Entry" where the kids came in small groups for 30 minutes each.

But today was the REAL DEAL!

The FIRST DAY.

I'd be lying if I said it was smooth sailing.  Or if I said I wasn't stressed.  Or if I said everything went as planned.

But according to the short people... all of them would agree that it was awesome.

I just LOVE the looks on their faces on the first day of school.  It's comparable to the faces you'd see at Mickey's House in Disneyland.  They are fascinated.  Everything is so magical.  They don't notice that the teacher feels frazzled.  They don't notice that their moms are leaving with tears in their eyes.  Those things don't matter when you've just found a little chair at a little table with YOUR NAME ON IT!

My reality: I only have 3 hours a day with these little ones... I need to make the most of it.  Which, to clarify, DOES NOT mean that we are doing flash cards and worksheets all day. Actually, it's the opposite.  I want to create QUALITY experiences that will teach much more than any worksheet ever could.  It became obvious IMMEDIATELY that we have some issues with scissoring and hand dominance... and maybe a few "my way or the highway" attitudes.  ;)   The typical things... and more will pop up as we go.  But overall it was fun... It was great... and we dove right in.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the school year.

Let the games begin!