Aaron's K is a half-day program that is 3 hours and 20 minutes. He is mornings (my preference since the afternoon kids get out right smack in the middle of nap time and I didn't want to have to wake up Audrey and Lila to pick him up). We are really lucky because class sizes have been going up, but in our school, they actually got smaller this year. Instead of 2 teachers to a class of 26 kids, they are experimenting this year with 1 teacher per 13 kids, with an overlap one day a week with all 26 kids there for an hour and a half.
We were a little nervous about him starting because when we talked to him earlier in the year about starting school, he was excited until I explained that we wouldn't be staying with him. He was anxious about that. He was worried he would need to tell me something and I wouldn't be there. So we had a lot of conversations about school and how much fun it would be and how much he'd like his teacher. We attended a couple of events on campus that were open to the community, like their holiday festival last December, to get him used to the idea of it being his school. When he had his evaluation in April, we both went and waited outside and he did fine being in the classroom with the teacher (who tested that he knew his letters, numbers, and how to use scissors).
The Friday before school began, there was a meet and greet in his classroom. His teacher is on maternity leave, but we met the substitute whom I really like. The kids got to get out a pencil box and go to a table with supplies like crayons, scissors and pencils and put a set amount of each in their box. Then they put their boxes at their table and we just got to look around the room and meet other kids and parents.
Now, Aaron's classroom is pretty big, but with both morning and afternoon kids arriving within the same hour-long open house, along with 1 or both parents and some siblings (we had all 3 kids with us), it was too crowded and noisy for Aaron. Aaron is very sensitive about crowds. And noise (unless he makes it himself). Lila started crying and Aaron was hiding under tables, so we decided to leave. It was hot and I was hungry and too many of my kids were stressed out. We had gotten there early hoping to beat the crowd, but everyone had had the same idea. But after coming home, Thom took Aaron back to the school by himself. The hour wasn't over yet so there was time. And Thom didn't want that negative experience to be how Aaron remembered his classroom.
Things were much calmer when they went back. Aaron had a chance to explore the classroom and Thom got to talk to the teacher. Although she is a sub, she has kids in the school so she had insight into handling drop-offs and pick-ups.
So Aaron has been in school for a month now. In the classroom, there is a board with the kids names on clothes pins. They all start off at "Good Student". They have opportunities to move up to Super Star throughout the morning. Or they might move down to Warning or Time Out. Wherever their clip is at then end of class determines how many tickets they get. Super Stars get 2, Good Students get 1. Aaron has come home with 2 tickets every day. Every 20 tickets you earn can be redeemed for a trip to a treasure chest. Only once has Aaron had his clip move down - and it was from Super Star down to Good Student. And it was back up by the end of the day.
Aaron wishes school was every day. Why? Because he loves riding the tricycles at recess. And he likes playing with all his "best friends". They are all girls. Because only girls can be best friends. He does mention some of the boys he plays with. But every week he comes home and tells me how many best friends he has. Before school started, he had 2. The first week, he had 3 - one new best friend from school. And then he told me he almost had 4 best friends. I assumed it was a boy he was playing with (who was friends with his school best friend). But no, it was another girl.
He seems to recognize that becoming best friends takes time. He will tell me the girls that are almost his best friends, and then the next thing I know he's telling me he now has 8 best friends and he will rattle of the names of the 2 girls he liked before school plus 6 in his class. I know from talking to the mother of one of the girls that at least one of them likes him. A lot. She thinks he is so handsome. And he told me she asked him if she could come to his house.
After school, Aaron is amped up, bouncing off the walls. He has a lot of energy to get out. He has also gotten a bit sassy. I think it is because he doesn't have control at school so he tries to exert it at home. It's been a big adjustment. And the first few weeks Audrey would drive me bonkers in the afternoon. I think she got a lot of individual attention in the mornings and in the afternoons she wasn't getting that. So there were a lot of melt downs, a lot of time-outs.
It's gotten a little bit better, but I also switched around my schedule so I work Tuesday afternoons instead of mornings so I don't have to deal with them one evening at least. It's also tough because between 5 and about 6:45pm when Thom gets home, I'm trying to get them fed and ready for bed at the same time that Lila is most fussy. Sometimes I put the TV on and get Lila to bed before Thom gets home. But I often try to keep her up until 7pm so the kids are done getting ready for bed and are doing stories with Thom when they are a bit quieter.
I could go on about school, but will save more for other posts as this one is long enough.
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