Preschool Time!

Even though I haven’t been teaching now for five years, September always makes me excited for a fresh start. This summer has been especially long and hot. 

Fun last week of summer with the cousins!

We’ve hit record days for temps above 90 degrees. 

We’ve had no rain. 

There isn’t much to do with three 18 month olds in dry, hot temperatures. 

                                              At last, I feel FALL!

I'm finally experiencing, in a small but wonderful way,  the structure and predictably that a school schedule brings to my life. Evie started preschool three mornings a week, and life is really running so much smoother.  
It's good for her. 
It's good for the boys.
It's good for everyone. 

I love the little bit of time I have with just the boys now. With Amanda, myself and these three little men, our mornings look very different.  

 John and I went to her open house and I didn’t expect us to get a bit emotional over the whole thing. I mean, it’s preschool! But still, seeing her with her little Hello Kitty backpack and pigtails and new princess Stride Rite shoes made me realize that our little baby girl is growing up! 

After meeting her teacher, I could tell Evie was very excited, but also a little anxious about the whole new preschool thing. I decided to bring her that first day a little early along with her brother Levi. I thought we could all play on the playground and she could show her little brother around her big girl classroom. 

My plan worked because she was so enthusiastic to show off her new room. Levi dove right in too. He really didn’t want to leave. The colorful room was so enticing, and he cried the whole way to the car after drop off. 

It’s so strange to be the parent now in the parent-teacher relationship. When I was teaching, I was so so young and inexperienced. Although I did my very best, there are some things you just can’t learn except through experience. If I could do things over, I would really focus on the parent relationship more than I did. I know what it feels like to be on the other end now, to anxiously wait to hear something positive and encouraging about your child from their teacher. I want to know what is going on in the classroom, who they are friends with and I want the teacher to take an interest in them. 

However, I also understand the demands, stress and anxieties of the teacher role too. I feel like I can come along side to support and encourage the teacher. I remember during my first year of teaching 8th grade, a parent brought me Starbucks every Friday! It was very generous; she brightened my whole day and I really felt like she was on my team. 

No surprise to me, but Evie had no problem jumping right into the rhythm of school. The comments I’ve heard from her teacher so far are, “She’s already making friends.” “She very mature.” “She participates well.”  

Whenever I pick her up at noon, I always seem to interrupt her creative channel and she greets me with just a bit of annoyance. 

However, the transition from school to home is good because she is usually ready for a little down time while the boys take their afternoon nap.

Little Miss

I love the structure and flow that a school schedule gives to my days and weeks. 

I have to say, I do love fall...AND, I think the boys will absolutely love pumpkins patches and hay stacks this year. I'm very much looking forward to some fall fun too. 

Hooray for FALL!