The boys dutifully hauled their heavy backpacks in without much complaint while I sang "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and skipped. My children tolerated this surprisingly well.
Also? I rehearsed Simon before we went in.
"Hi Simon! I'm your teacher, Mrs. B! Welcome back to school... and now you say....??"
Just wanted to make sure he wasn't going to hide or run away, growl or snarl. He did okay. But more on that later.
First we headed to Ben's room because I knew I could leave him there and focus more on Simon. Ben's homeroom teacher is his reading teacher from last year and I have to say, it was really, REALLY nice to walk into a classroom to a teacher we already knew. I know she only has him for homeroom, but even that will eliminate ONE round of explaining Ben to people this year. Case in point? His seat was right up in the front of the classroom. No accident, I'm promise you.
His room smelled like the Clorox wipes that come in the green can. Best. Smell. Ever. (next to Clean Cotton from Yankee Candle) Ahhh... I love the smell of a squeaky clean school before it gets converted to a winter germ factory.
The classroom theme is Hollywood and the teacher had rolled out a red carpet for the kids to walk in on... so cute! I helped Ben put his things in his desk and then got him set up doing handprints in back of the room for the wall of fame. He said he was okay with coming to find us (he did this last year too and can I just say that having an "older kid" makes life so much easier?) and so Simon and I headed off to find his classroom.
Simon's classroom is very close to his kindergarten room, which is nice. He's less likely to get lost and wander aimlessly on the first day. It's bright and cheery, as first grade classrooms should be! :) We found his desk pretty quickly. I didn't get a chance to take a picture at his desk though because as soon as we got there, there was a checklist of things to to be done. He was busy filling out a star shape with his name and favorite things ("minecraft!!!") while I put all the supplies away, signed some forms, put things in his locker, etc. His teacher introduced herself to him and he whispered his name and refused to make eye contact. I call this a raging success, meaning he spoke, which is lot more than I expected. He also didn't try to leave the classroom.... so yay for that!
His desk is in a pod of six and he's either right up front or all the way in back. I actually couldn't tell which end of the classroom was the front. This is probably a good thing... there's bright, learnin'- type stuff on every wall! ;) Also, in my defense, it was really chaotic and I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention.
The teacher's organization really impressed me (Love me some good organizational systems) as did her demeanor as I listened to her speaking to the other kids and parents. I'm really hopeful for a good fit and a good year in general for Simon. He has quite a few kids in his class from last year, more than I initially thought... so that's good!
On the way out, I remembered the photo, but another kid was using Simon's desk so we settled for one at the classroom door. I got a smile!!! And a pose? I think he was just happy we were leaving....
Oh and interesting note about lockers -- in fourth and fifth grade, they apparently don't put names on the them. There are no cheery rainbow stars or peace signs or labels with adorably written names lining the older kids' hallway. It looks like... well... middle school, which I'm guessing is what they are getting them prepared for. Smart people, those 4th and 5th grade teachers.
Later, we doubled back to Ben's classroom -- after the deluge of paperwork in Simon's room, I wanted to make sure I hadn't forgotten something in Ben's room because I left there empty-handed!. I was impressed that Ben knew which locker was his. LOL. First off, I can't believe he thought to ask for (or maybe he just was the unwilling recipient of) his locker number when I wasn't there... secondly, he had already put his art smock and headphones in it while I was busy with Simon. Who is this kid? I love it!
We stopped by to say hello to last year's teachers, although Simon hid from his kindergarten teacher. (sigh) And we stopped to say hi to Mrs. Terry in the library and take a picture in front of her "Read Box" (free rentals!) which is adorable. :)
So Monday is the big day! Off to the races with a 4th and 1st grader. Crossing fingers for a good day and a good year. :)
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