First days of school
It’s been an exciting and very full week around here with Dave back at work, me continuing to work against deadline pressure on a project that was slated to be done by now (plus other work piling in) and Sam starting school, which was the real focus of everyone’s attention. They start out gradually with a 2 hour KinderKamp orientation for kids and parents, then split the class up into two half days for half the class each. So Tues was KinderKamp, Wed was half day, and tomorrow (Fri) is the first full day for all 24 kids in the class.
Sam rolled into the routine very well, but just wonders how quickly all the kids will get with the program so there’s a lot less waiting around as activities roll one into the next. I spied on their recess time (with Ben – we went for a jog and came back to see what happens) and man there is a lot of sitting in lines for counting ducklings (they say “criss-cross applesauce” for everyone to sit down and cross legs with hands in lap). My friends told me this would be the case but I never guessed it would be so regimented. Of course we don’t want to lose anyone, but after 5 years of hiking with preschoolers it really seemed to be overkill. I would love to see me try to handle 24 kids one day, though!
So Sam is very bored right now, but we will give it a few weeks to just see how everything goes. One of his buddies is older, taller and pretty advanced, too, so at least he has someone to roll his eyes with. We invited his new buddy out for a hike today on their day off and the guys had a great time. We moms did, too. I am so eager to homeschool with a program the state of Hawaii has which is just absolutely fantastic. I researched it all so it’d be in my hip pocket in case we just can’t stomach it any longer. Maybe we homeschool until school actually has a chance of getting interesting…middle school? Kindergarteners get 1 – 1.5 hrs of instruction in a 7 hour day. That is just horrendous. Not to mention the school lunches. Chili cheese fries today. Wow. I really thought we’d advanced as a society?
I am in major major culture shock this week. And some wacky things have been happening to me as I process all of this. Too many funny stories but let me just say there’s a very bruised tailbone among us from trying to ski down concrete stairs while giving Sam a hug (he was “rapelling” down the railing at the time – not good timing on my part). And some Mormon sisters are thinking to themselves, no doubt, that it shouldn’t be too hard to ascend to positions of influence with folks like me around, lurching out of the driveway in my big yellow truck to escape an evangelizing while proclaiming “I’m Catholic and she’s Protestant so I think we’re all set!” Holly and I had some good laughs about that one.
- Here we are on the first 2 hrs of school – KinderKamp orientation.
The next day we headed out on bike/stroller for the first half day of school. Look what greeted us as we left the garage! Sam said "Ooooh mom! It's a DOUBLE RAINBOW! FULL ON!" (Have you seen "double rainbow guy" on YouTube? It's hilarious, and I can't believe Sam remembered this!) We laughed like crazy while remembering all the nutty stuff the guy said - "ooooh! it's so INTENSE!" "What does it MEAN?!"
- And here’s the roundup of stories for Dad to ask about.
Sam: “There was one boy who was REALLY naughty. He took his name tag off THREE times. He did NOT have his listening ears on.”
Sam: “Mom, remember the snack bench? Well, there were two kids eating their snacks and talking about how Jesus died on the cross. One kid knew about Jesus and the other didn’t.”
Sam: “So I was supposed to put my snack bag in a white plastic basket after recess. I dropped my bag into the basket, but I don’t know what happened, it must have fallen out or through or something because the teacher picked up my bag and asked “Whose is this?” I couldn’t tell it was mine until I saw the nuts and raisins in it. Then I raised my hand but the teacher didn’t see it. I didn’t want to interrupt the other students because they were being quiet. I didn’t want to disturb everyone just to say it was mine. So she put the bag on her desk. She didn’t have her listening ears on.”
Sam: “We didn’t wash our hands before lunch because the faucet had too little water coming out of it. But we washed our hands and faces after lunch.” (You know what mom is thinking. Hand sanitizer is now in his lunch bag. And his book bag. And I will make sure the huge vat of it that I bought for the class is out!)
Sam: “It is VERY important you bring a bottle of water. But I don’t know how to go get my water when I want a drink. It is out on the counter. But I couldn’t go get it.” (I related this story to Dave tonight and he just shook his head. Poor guy! So many rules! Good gracious – can we find a handy place for water bottles? Or do another formation walk to the water fountain 20 yards away? The kids only get two 15 min recesses anyway. Sam’s regular morning outings include hiking, mountain biking, or biking alongside me on a 4-6 mile run. He’s getting a lot less exercise, and did I mention the kinds of foods they serve? Oy. I don’t know how long this relationship will last…)
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