This was a pretty whirlwind week for Dylan. He finished his last day of preschool on the same day we went to the Kinder Open House, started school the next day, and started his new after-school program the next day after that! It’s been an unusual week with lots of transitions.
But the first day of school was pretty exciting. He got up early, eager to get to school on time. For our little lollygagger, this is pretty huge!
During the Kinder Open House, each child got a checklist of things they could do that day: find your cubby; find the bathroom, meet your teacher; take a picture; write your name; color the picture of the school mascot….Dylan loves his little checklist. It’s in that folder he’s holding!!
After Dylan’s teacher rang the bell to line up (a nice brass bell from India!), Cameron and Dylan hugged goodbye. And what’s with our dear son’s expression? I’m not sure! He was definitely excited, but we could tell he was also a little anxious…this was so many more kids than he’s used to at preschool and just about all of them are still strangers….Anyway, while Tom drove Cameron to daycare, I stayed with Dylan in the classroom and listened to his teacher sing a few songs on the guitar and lay out a few “cool rules”. I can tell he’ll be a great teacher…!
We are so glad Dylan got this teacher. His room is clearly unconventional: no visible computers for the kids in the room; a loft in a reading corner, lit by a nice lamp (actually, the entire room is lit by lamps only!); there are lots of sticks, rocks and tree stumps (some tree stumps are used as chairs) and he plays his guitar at circle time.
The first day was a short day and, luckily, this coincided with my work-from-home day, so I was able to pick Dylan up from school right away. I decided, to ease the transition to the after-school program, we’d visit it (which we did), meet the teachers, check out the space, and then he could stay home with me.
Heather was teaching that afternoon, so I was supposed to pick Taliana up! Sadly, I thought she got out at 2pm, so I told Dylan we’d have to go back to the school for her, but bright girl that she is, after discovering we’d left Dylan’s classroom, she came right on over all by herself (I’m glad we’re close by!!)! The kids had a blast exchanging first day of school stories, yapping about the principal’s ‘speech’ (Taliana saw Dylan at the assembly, but Dylan did not see her), how much they liked their teachers, what their classrooms were like and what school supplies Taliana got! It was all very sweet!
So, the first day was a big success, for sure. As was the second. Dylan still doesn’t really know his classmates, so even though he played with a few kids, he still doesn’t know their names and I can tell he’s a little stressed and, like me, he’s shy! I can totally relate. Tom and I are encouraging him to introduce himself and ask kids what their names are and also reassuring him that he’ll know the kids pretty soon…just like in pre-school.
I think it definitely helps that Taliana is there. It’s sweet to see them wave hi to each other when they see each other at the school! Heather has also picked Dylan up early from the after-school program on Thursday and Friday (so rather than wait there until 5:30pm, he’s been getting out at 2:30pm!) and watching him after school. I’m sure this is also helping with the transition!
Next week, we’ll have a few more firsts…he’ll try riding the bus home with Taliana so he can occasionally go home to play with her rather than camp out at school all afternoon. We love us our Auntie Heather! It pains me to think about the days he’ll be at school longer than I’ll be at work….
So Day Three, was a bit rough. He still is clearly overwhelmed by the crowds–he dutifully files into the room to place his lunch box in his cubby, but it’s not long before it’s thronged with parents and kids and he starts getting nudged here and there. He’s my sensitive li’l fella and this makes him sad. This morning, it got bad enough that he actually just dropped his lunch box on the floor and came running back out towards me in tears. After we put his lunch box in his cubby together, I gave him a big hug and helped him find a seat at the art table. After a few minutes, he still hadn’t quite regained his equilibrium, but I figured I had to leave to let him to snap out of it on his own. It was tough leaving the classroom!
I’m hoping next week will be 100% positive! And, I’m heartened by the fact that he did finish the calendar project they worked on today! He painted a nice rainbow, with a sun and a picture of himself and Cameron….
As for Cameron, she misses Dylan who has been accompanying her to Lola’s house twice a week. She keeps asking, “where’s Dyl-Ann?” and mom told me she seemed a little sad on that first day without him. She loves walking to school with him, though, and it’s always sweet to see them hug goodbye….
