School time...
2004-08-16 at 12:01 p.m.
Today was J's kindergarten orientation. In preparation, I had school-based anxiety dreams all night. You know the type - leaving for school wearing nothing but pajamas, not being able to find your classroom, missing the bus... those types of dreams. You'd have thought I OD'ed on caffeine last night. I've always had issues with school and now I guess they've spilled over to being issues with my kids going to school.
Poor J. I thought he was looking forward to getting back to school. He evidently wasn't. I feel bad. I've spent so much time concerning myself with E and his adjustment and I just assumed J would be fine. He told me last night he doesn't want to go to school. He wants to stay home with me. I reminded him how much he loved preschool and how many friends he made. He still wasn't convinced. He was scared about today, as well. I tried to reassure him, but he cried himself to sleep.
He came downstairs a few hours later and told me he was excited about starting school and was looking forward to today. I breathed a sigh of relief.
This morning, my alarm went off at 7:00am. I got up, showered, picked out a nice outfit (one of maybe three I own), put on make up, styled my hair and prepared to take J to his orientation. It was all for nothing, when he told me he would rather have Daddy take him.
I pretended my heart wasn't breaking when I told him that this was his day and whoever he wanted to take him to school was fine with me. He chose K.
I gave K a list of questions to ask and sent them on their way. I got choked up watching them drive away. After an hour or so, I called K to see how things were going. He told me we had made a big mistake moving to this district.
After 20 years with this man, I realize his tendency to overdramatize things, so I calmly asked why he said that. He told me that J's teacher was not only a first year teacher, who was all of about six years old, she also butchered the English language. You knows how I feels about grammar. He also said that the teacher tentatively slated for E was a male. We had specifically requested a female teacher for him. E doesn't adjust well to male authority. He's had problems with every male authoritative figure he's had.
The principal apologized and said he had completely forgotten about E's adversion to males and that he would switch him if we wanted him to. He also said however, that E should become accustomed to males, because in fourth and fifth grade, they have more male teachers than female.
We talked it over with E and he agreed having a man teacher was okay. I'm still skeptical. Saying it's okay now and actually dealing with it for an entire school year are two different things. I guess we'll see.
The worst news was yet to come. Mrs. M, E's para from last year had originally expressed an interest in changing schools to be with E again. K asked the principal why she hadn't been hired. He told K that she never submitted a resume. She met with him and he was ready and willing to hire her, but she evidently changed her mind somewhere along the line. I'm so upset by this. Not so much in the fact that she decided not to go to E's new school, but that she didn't talk to me about it. Last I heard, she wanted me to type up a letter of recommendation for her to hand in along with her resume. She was to come by three Saturdays ago to get it and never did. I wonder what went wrong? I wish she had talked to me about it. I have a call in to her to discuss it.
J got to ride the bus home. I'm quite impressed with their bus system. I met the bus driver - her name is M!chelle. She told me that only authorized guardians can retrieve kindergarteners from their busses. If someone new will be getting him off the bus, I'm to notify the garage beforehand and the person will be required to show ID. If someone isn't there to get him, they'll take him back to school until a guardian can be notified. I love this system.
I should be getting information regarding E today in the mail. His orientation will be later this week sometime.
I hope everything goes smoothly for the boys this year at school.