Back to School

Gasp!  It's been a while since I blogged......Anyhoo......

Back to school is always a great time filled with mixed emotions.  I sure was glad to have the kids in school for routine, but something about that summer spontaneity is missed and bye-bye to sleeping in.  I also was feeling excited and anxious all at the same time about sending them off to a new school.  When I asked Kezia about her thoughts on starting another school she replied, "It's nothing really, starting something new, it's what we do".   On the first day when her teacher asked if she was nervous she smiled big and emphatically said, "Not at all, I'm excited!".  And those were Joel's sentiments as well.

The two of them are in what is called an Alternative or Flex classroom.  It's three grade classroom that centres around projects and exploratory learning.  For kids that don't mind un-routine and projects, those that are independent in their learning and are self-motivated.  Plus with all the projects, it's pretty artsy too.  At first I wasn't sure about it, but more and more classrooms have multiple grades and isn't that how our grandparents were educated in that one room school?  The teachers are phenomenal in their grasp of curricular outcomes and from day one the two of them said they loved their teachers.  A benefit is that they will have a teacher for more than just one year.  Right now Kezia is the oldest in a 1-2-3 classroom and Joel is the youngest in a 4-5-6 classroom.  How lovely for a middle child to be a leader in her class and a first born to have to step into line with a bunch of older kids.  I can't help but smile about all the things they will learn this year....

But for little Asha it was a bit of different scenario.  She didn't go right away as they have gradual entrance for kindergarten.  Though she was a bit ripped off not to be going with Joel and Kezia on that first day, she mentioned a number of times over the days that she was nervous about going to school.  "What if my teacher doesn't like me?  What if the kids think I'm strange?  What if I can't find the bathroom?  What happens if I can't read the books?".  And I have to admit, I was feeling a bit emotional about sending her to school.  Somehow I don't remember feeling this sensitive about Joel and Kezia.  Maybe because with my first born it was all new and exciting and it was in California.  Then with Kezia, she was SO ready for school in Bolivia and since I had no clue what was going on, the blanked brain trumped the achy heart.

I don't know.  Well, it only lasted for the first day.  Once we went to the classroom and met the teacher and she found out where the bathroom was, she was eager to go.  On the fourth day she casually said to me, "You don't have to bring me to my classroom anymore.  You could just let me go up the stairs by myself".  Alright.  I think I was okay with that.  Plus it saved me the hassle of hauling Elena out of the car seat or bike trailer and then after it all dragging a screaming toddler from the fish tank, totally disrupting everyone in the office.  Yeah, it was probably better Asha went in herself.....

So in the afternoons I come home and find myself a little lost without the noise and the chaos.  I admit, the first day I put Elena down for a nap, I went and slept too.  Oh my!  I can't remember the last time I did that. I could get used to this school thing I think.