Don't get me wrong... we tried our best. We redshirted her for a year to give her some time, we started bringing Scout around to the school so that she could get acquainted (STEM night, watering the school garden, etc.) and Scout had met several school families through the preschool or the neighborhood pool. As luck would have it, she even had a buddy in her class! But Scout made it clear that though she was supposed to be excited, she was not. She confessed to a friend the week before school started that she was "a little nervous." She told me more than once (okay, like a dozen times) that she did not want to go to school. When she woke up Tuesday morning, she was still feeling hesitant: "Mom, I don't wanna go to school." Fair enough, I thought. It's NORMAL to be nervous. It's NORMAL to feel hesitant. Plus, this is a VERY BIG DEAL. Starting Kindergarten at a public elementary school is way different than attending preschool at the sweet little co-op that she attended for the past two years.
But, sometimes, you just have to walk into the big world and check it out for yourself. That morning, she ran the gamut of emotion. But in the end, she walked all the way to school. As we rounded the corner from the bike path to the playground, she gasped when she saw the school grounds full of people.Tons of parents were there for moral support and photo archiving purposes. We walked up to the classroom door, and she could see that there were other kids just like her. When the teacher opened the door to welcome the new students, she walked through without any problems. The teacher had a precious letter printed out for each of us parents, reminding us that she will take good care of our "babies." Both Cory and I got a little emotional, but I can speak for myself that I was so happy for our girl. I know that she's going to do great.
Cory, Ruby and I went together to pick Scout up from school. Since she is doing a 70% day, she has a 1:30 pick up time. We waited anxiously for the door to open. When it did, Scout was the last one out the door, and her face was filled with a smile. When we asked her how the day went, she said her day was "just perfect." We asked how she liked her teacher and she told us that her teacher was "very, very nice." She also raved about a puppet in music class. When we asked what she did at recess and who she played with, she said that she just "took a nap" and she really wished that there was naptime at school.
There have been a few days since, and she keeps saying good things about school. She has met new friends and I am hopeful that she continues to have an overall positive experience.
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