Elsa's First Week of Kindergarten

Whew, what a week we had around here!

Tuesday was Elsa's first day of kindergarten at Donges Bay Elementary. It's all day, from 9:05 a.m. until 4 p.m. I just can't get over what a long day that must be for her!

Elsa has Mrs. Nelson as her teacher. One of our Audubon friends had Mrs. Nelson last year, and his mom told me that she is a wonderful teacher, but "not warm and fuzzy." I was a little concerned about that. Elsa's such a people-pleaser—if she doesn't get over-the-top-positive feedback, she worries and/or thinks the person is "mean." There's a tennis coach at Elite who's a prime example of that. He's a very nice guy, and jokes around with the kids all the time, but he's got high standards when it comes to their tennis games, and he doesn't hesitate to tell them when they're not living up to those standards. He's no sugar-coater, and I suspect Mrs. Nelson isn't either. Of course, Elsa has to learn to deal with that sooner or later—I just wasn't sure kindergarten was the ideal time for it.

At "Meet the Teacher Day" last week, I saw what the other mom meant. Mrs. Nelson is very matter-of-fact, and she certainly doesn't talk down to the kids, but that's probably a good thing. And since then, we've heard several more glowing reports about what a great teacher she is (from moms whose older kids have had her). We also learned that she loves to do art projects with the kids, and art is incorporated into nearly everything they do. Of course I was thrilled to hear that! So I think Mrs. Nelson will be just fine. So far Elsa hasn't had much to say about her, which I think indicates there isn't a strong connection there yet, but she doesn't seem to dislike her either.

On Elsa's first day, the parents went to school with the kids and stayed for about two hours. We worked on an art project with the kids, helped organized their school supplies, and had a talk with Mrs. Nelson about busing, lunch practicalities, etc. Then the kids went out on the playground while we heard from the PTO. After that, we went to the lobby to say goodbye to the kids, who were lining up to get on a bus and go for a short ride to learn about bus safety.

It was kind of weird saying goodbye to her as she got on a bus to leave school, but I couldn't help tearing up a little. When did she get so grown-up? And can I really deal with the fact that she's going to be away from me, every day, all day, essentially until she goes away to college?? The sheer amount of time she's been away each day has been my biggest adjustment. We also got very used to having Fridays off for the past two years of preschool. So I'm still wrapping my head around this intense new schedule.

After the parents left, it sounds like the rest of Elsa's first day went pretty well, with a few exceptions. There were three (yes, three) children who somehow got lost during the course of the day. One walked out of the classroom while the teacher's back was turned, and two actually wandered off the playground! (But not off school grounds.) Fortunately, Elsa was not involved in any of these incidents, and all missing children were found eventually. : )

The other problem was when Elsa ate her lunch. You see, I had the brilliant idea of putting a little note in her lunch bag. It said "I [heart] you. Mommy." I also cut her sandwich into heart shapes. Apparently my sweet girl opened her lunch bag, saw the note and the heart-shaped sandwiches, and just lost it. I guess she was suddenly reminded of how much she missed me and missed being at home. It sounds like she sat there and just cried quietly the entire lunch period, but tried to hide it so the lunchroom aids wouldn't notice! I felt terrible! I thought the note and the hearts would be a nice little surprise for her that would remind her she was loved. Apparently they worked a little too well! Elsa and I talked this over at length that night, and I think one of the problems was that she wasn't sitting by anyone she knew. We decided that the next day, it would be important to sit by one of the girls she knows, so she could chat with someone and hopefully be distracted a little.

I also asked her whether she wanted another note the next day. She suggested maybe Claire could draw her a picture instead. Does that mean she doesn't miss Claire as much, so a picture from her isn't so upsetting? Who knows! LOL.

All in all, Elsa had three days of school this week, and each day seemed to go better than the last. Today she ate lunch with her friends Marina from dance class and Moira from Audubon, and she enjoyed that. She's also been playing with a bunch of kids on the playground (she says they play "vampires." Wonderful.) On Thursday, she got to be the "Special Student of the Day" in her classroom, which meant all the other kids got to ask her questions to get to know her better, and then the other kids all drew pictures of her, which the teacher stapled into a book and sent home with her. Bus pick-ups and drop-offs have gone very well, and she has seemed tired when she gets home, but not ridiculously so. I don't even think any other kids in the class have gotten lost! : ) And what was Elsa's impression of school overall? When I asked Elsa what they did in school the first day, she replied, "Well, we didn't learn to read yet." Hee hee, start cracking that whip, Mrs. Nelson!

So now I think we're already to the point where it's not Elsa who has to adjust to the new schedule, so much as it's Claire and me. : ) It really is weird being at home without her all day long, and I know Claire misses her like crazy. On Thursday night as I was packing Elsa's lunch, I thought, "Really? She has to go back there again tomorrow?" It felt like such a long week—and she only had three days total! But as long as it's upsetting me instead of her, I guess I'll count this week as a success.