This morning was Whitney's first day of school and I didn't do ANY of the things I wanted to do. I blame my book club friends for keeping me out too late last night with my belated-birthday dinner. I didn't get to bed until 1:15am and then couldn't sleep! I tossed and turned for an hour and then came out onto the couch to watch tv and get groggy (Have any of you seen that infomercial for that awesome spray painting system?) I started to feel sleepy and turned off the tv, but still took awhile to fall asleep, so I think it was around 3:30 or something. Why oh why must it be this way?? I've been doing so well with going to bed at a reasonable time.
So since I was gone last night we didn't have a quiet evening at home with a night-before-school blessing for Whitney. Also, this morning I was so tired and hadn't planned well so I didn't have anything special for breakfast. She didn't expect anything, so she wasn't disappointed, but when Landon started kindergarten a couple years ago I made bacon, biscuits, hashbrowns, chocolate milk, grapes and took pictures of every moment of his morning. So pretty much we're going to treat tomorrow like the first day of school and try this again. She will get her blessing tonight and I'll make her a special breakfast tomorrow and decorate the door and have freshly baked cookies when she gets home. It's not like she's my 6th kid or anything, why is this so hard for me??
(Notice Whitney's head as she's lost in the crowd.)
I started writing this earlier this morning while Whitney was gone, but then Jenn stopped by to bring me a jar of homemade salsa and a bag of chips, so we ended up talking until it was time to go get Whitney. This is what Whitney looked like coming out of school. She looked happy and was holding the communication envelope I'll be passing back and forth every Wednesday with her teacher.
She didn't have much to say in the car, but then we ended up going out to lunch and she chose IHOP (I was thinking a Happy Meal at the Drive Thru, but oh well). We ended up being at the restaurant for over an hour (can you say slow?) so Whitney had plenty of time to tell me about her day. She says she has 15 boys in her class and 13 girls (this is a shockingly large class size in my opinion so I'm not happy about this). She said a boy in the class wouldn't sit down when the teacher asked him to and then he scratched the teacher and made her bleed! What in the world? She said they're only allowed 3 seconds at the water fountain for a drink, and that 4 kids had to use the bathroom. Hmmm.I'm not comforted by any of this information and can't wait until I can spend some time in the classroom and see what really goes on in there. I know it's only the first day, but 28 kids is a lot for one teacher to handle, and they're only there for 2 hours and 52 minutes so what's the point if there's too many kids to accomplish anything? I'm wigging out.
**Do you need do-overs very often?
How was your child's kindergarten first day?
How do you feel about IHOP?
Am I overreacting?**
How was your child's kindergarten first day?
How do you feel about IHOP?
Am I overreacting?**
19 comments:
You definately need a do-over morning. I'm sorry it was so chaotic! And I'm sorry we ruined it for you- darn late night friends!
I wish I could ease your mind about public schools but after your charmed experience at Ensign, I don't think I can. It is often chaotic, there are mean kids, the teachers can be overwhelmed but after 5 years in the system, we're still going! You will feel better when you get into her class and the routine is established and you know she can find her way to her classroom on her own!
Remember she is all smiles after her first day and she'll remember a great lunch at IHOP where she told you all about her first day, not that you didn't make bacon!!
You know I think sometimes we all need a do-over day. Tomorrow will be better! I also think that that is way too many children for one poor teacher, but the teacher will probably have at least one aide to help her out. Also, there always seems to be at least one child that has a very difficult time adjusting to school and the new routines. Give it a few days and it will all settle down and things will be fine. And so you will you!
Go ahead and have a do over. I am very supportive of do overs, and excpet for Christmas, we do over almost every kid centered holiday.
I have to say that her first day sounds like such a nightmare. I'm proud of you for surviving it, though. Since I'm the one with the youngest children, it's been intereswting for me to hear you all talk about schooling children. It sounds horrendous! I hope that as the kids settle into a routine and learn the ropes a little better things will get easier. It seems to me that the kindergarten confusion could be avoided by having a seperate entrance for the kindergarten classes. All of the elementary schools that I and my siblings attended in California had seperate everything for kindergarted, including front doors. Do they builds schools like this in Utah? So much better to havee the little ones a little seperate during their first year.
I have totaly had a bad first day of school where nothing went as planned. Thankfully the kids are very understanding and were happy the next day with the better effort.
I can't beleive it was so crazy! I have the same questions... where were the teacher? And why couldn't you just walk them into their class room?
Plus 28 kids?? That is a ton of kids to have. I am amazed though how fast the teachers get the kids into their class routine. I am glad you could have a nice lunch at IHOP. My kids love it there because they can have breakfast any time of day. We don't go very ofter but when we do they know it is a treat.
I'm surpirsed to hear of the chaos, that would unnerve me also. When I worked in the schools (I was working on my masters to be a school psychologist until Kira came along) I noticed that the Kindergarten classes all had at least 2 or 3 aides. I do agree that the number of students in a classroom is way too big in this state. Hopefully the routine in the class and at the school in general will kick in soon and you can relax.
I went to school in Utah, our elementary school had outside doors for all the kindergaten and 1st grade classes with a separate playground and a bathroom for each 2 classrooms.
I hope tomorrow goes a lot better for you. It sounds like Whitney did just fine. She'll love her special breakfast tomorrow.
I think that the first day is normally chaotic for everyone. Its not only for the parents/kids, but teachers as well. I would give it a few days and things will surely calm down.
I often need do-over days, but since today was bad I bet tomorrow will surely be better. It has to be!
I remember when Taylor started 1st grade she came home in tears! What? I thought, she quickly learned that she couldn't talk like she could in kinder. A pretty traumatic experience for her, but she got over it pretty quickly. Thank goodness kids are mighty reseliant (sp?)
I need do-overs all the time- I hope tomorrow is better. Sounds like the chaos could have been easily avoided, and I suggest taking action and writing a letter or talking to the school about your ideas for sure. You could be surprised and they just might listen and appreciate your constuctive feedback. I bet Whitney will always remember her special first day lunch- I personally love IHOP and was in heaven when my sister worked there and would hook me up all the time :) Whitney looks like she wasn't too traumatized- maybe kids just handle the choas better than we do and go with the flow. Good luck tomorrow!
I worked in a kindergarten that had about 10-15 special education students in addition to 15 other kids... including a boy who had the childhood version of schizophrenia. I kid you not- he was on all kinds of meds to keep "the bad boy" from coming out. Anyways... in a class that size, I'm sure the teacher will have TONS of help and rotations, so the kids will definitely be doing stations in smaller groups. From my experience in the literacy corps at SU, it's rare for all the kids to do EVERYTHING together anyways, because even in small classes, 5 year olds start to bug out. (and this was teaching in an inner city school with few resources) She'll be fine, and will love it- she'll just have 20-some new friends. Including a scratcher, but there can be much, much worse. It'll be great. Seriously!
MAN i wrote this HUGE comment then blogger didnt post it-blogger is driving me CRAZY lately!!
alright- here it goes AGAIN...
okay did the picture with ALL the strollers scare anyone else or just me?!?!?!
Our school as a totally separate entrance for kindergarden and the parents are allowed to walk their kids into their classrooms - some schools you have to LITERALLY sign them IN and OUT of their classrooms! the past years we've been on year round school so there were only 20 kids in the classrooms, now that its traditional there are 30 kids..and they have "centers" where they are grouped into 5 according to their ablitity and work with a "mom helper" on math or science or reading..they do that till the 3rd grade..
the teachers are TRAINED to handle that size classroom, AND take care of the "problem child" without it taking over the classroom work..
scary to hear her teacher bled on her first day though! and there is ALWAYS a "problem child" in EVERY class it seems--just be thankful whitney isnt the that child!!!
and i NEVER do well if i dont sleep well!!
ihop. love it!!
i have never lived near one. my favorite the banana, choc. chip pancakes with peacans and pecan syrup oh so healthy. we did go to the one by your house and is was so slow! and kind of dirty, but i think could be typical of breakfast places.
do over. every day is a do over. you can never think you just have one chance at anything. ok maybe somethings, but i love the attitude to treat everyday special and like the first day.
oh and i peeked at your night last night. oh my!!!!!!! i can't wait to hear the details.
I hope it gets better. Things things make me crazy and I know that I am spoiled that my Jessica had 10 kids in her first grade class. 28 kids is way too many for such a young gread and I don't think a teacher can handle that - remember Walker, it's frustrating that one kids can ruin a class. The poor teacher bleeding on the first day!
Whitney looks happy and will love her good breakfast in the morning. I am sure it will only be a short time until you know the reason you are there.
How many typos can one girl get in a comment?!
I vote for a do over. I know how chaos disconbobulates you and makes you feel out of control. Whitney will not remember that. Public school is all I know and I loved it and all the things that made it what it was: the weird classmates, questionable lunch veggies, friends, crafts, the school classroom, my teachers, holiday parties, the whole shabang. One look at Whitney's smile tells you what a fun day she had.
You'll all be ok, take a deep breath and count to ten.
Whitney looks so cute and excited. I'm sure she'll be thrilled with the do over. Kids are easy to please, thank goodness. Hope it keeps getting easier!
Jill,
We LOVE IHOP.
I need a do-over life. So, I decided to bag it, and make the best of my every-day, salvaging what I can - and your little girl's lunch out and chance to describe her day will be her memory, not the bacon you didn't make.
I wonder if we just obsess too much over the details that only we know about. I wish we could enjoy the moment, instead, like revelling in your b-day party the night before (holy cow, you have some friends!) instead of the guilt and the regret. Oh, mommy-hood. At least we are in it together!
I am sure the school chaos will settle. I am interested to see if there are aids in her class... if not, she will be an amazingly capable teacher!
Yeah, I think you are overreacting a bit. Sometimes I forget you have never had a public school experience yet with your kids. It's all we've known, and it's been great for us.
My kids always have 27-30 kids in their classes. It's crazy that teachers have to handle that many kids, undoubtedly all at different levels, I don't know how they do it. But having involved parents surely helps a lot! I think you will enjoy volunteering in the classroom. I did it a lot with Max and it was great. Lucas has gotten the shaft so far.
This will be a bit of an adjustment for you, but I think that Whitney is gonna LOVE it!
i'm sorry, but it's funny to think your were in tears at the disorganization.
I do think you're overreacting. i can't believe i'm telling you to relax. These experiences are what make up life for our children as they grow up. Don't you remember your school days? I do vividly and i cherish them. Cherish what I learned about people, myself, and life. Whitney is a strong kid who knows what is right and knows what she wants. Don't fret she will be fine.
i've never been to ihop.
I think IHOP always sets me up. They lure me in with the 3.99 special and then I get in there and I say, "I don't want eggs and bacon and toast, I want German Pancakes." And I get German Pancakes, and I like them. A lot.
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