Lesbi-honest! No body likes watching their tiny human start their first day of kindergarten, after kindergarten though, yes please send them to school.
Kindergarten Orientation was a joke, and our first day of Kindergarten experience was just horrifying.
The previous spring we attended a kindergarten orientation. Kids played while the parents sat in a classroom with one of the kindergarten teachers. I wont lie, I am a judger. I was judging this entire time.
As the teacher went over the things they would learn and need to know by the end of kindergarten, my eyes got a little squinty and my skepticism was on high alert. My son attended a private Christian preschool for two years prior to this. So he knows his letters, ABC's, how to spell and write his name, and is learning to read by sounding out words. At the end of preschool I thought great he will be ready for kindergarten. After listening to this woman talk at orientation, I thought great so we are skipping to the second grade! But that's public school I guess.
So this lady went over some things to do during the summer that will prepare our children for the things they will learn in kindergarten. (I was happy to learn my summer would be free of teaching). She pulled out magnet letters and spelt the name Cameron on the board. She then proceeded to go through every single letter pulling it down and repeating the letter again. This was to help our kids learn the letters. This was a great tactic, for a 5 year old, however I am not 5 I caught on after the C. So I began scanning the room at this point, looking at (judging) the others around me. This was a joke right? Her examples were all like this, I get you are a kindergarten teacher, but seriously lady, I am a big girl now.
Now moving to a week before school starts. I got a letter in the mail introducing the new principal and saying how I would get my sons teacher name and classroom information in the mail in a day or two. I thought perfect, and please don't give him the lady from orientation. She just really bothered me.
Day before school starts, still no mail
First day of school. I call the office, and explain that I did not receive my sons class info in the mail. They secretary asked me what I meant. . . . how else do you explain that . . . so I said I got a letter telling me it would come in the mail, it did not come in the mail, therefore I do not know where my child needs to go this morning. Now mind you I gave her my name only when I called not my child's, but since it is such a small town school I didn't question her when she told me what class he was in. I should have questioned, she was an idiot, that was my bad.
Off to kindergarten we go with my little man looking all cute as a button! I follow the arrows to said teachers classroom, grab the papers I was supposed to fill out and grab a seat. My son is a bit shy around new people so he was doing his shy shoulder shrug twitch he does and I observed (judged) my surrounds. Guess who the teacher was????? Gah it would be the Cameron spelling lady!
She began talking in short sentences, and then an interpreter repeated, Literally every word. Not that speaking Spanish is bad but my first thought was ok so my son is going to learn Spanish in kindergarten and nothing else, because this took FOREVER! It wouldn't be bad if he did learn Spanish, but I don't speak Spanish and if my son is getting lippy with me in another language, I am going be pissed. My brain immediately went to private school mode, $350 a month is only $150 more a month than I was paying the last two years. I thought their dad doesn't do shit, doesn't pay shit, I'm going after him for child support, my mind was sprinting. While I appreciate these guys accommodating the class, my kids can learn Spanish from Dora on their free time, they need to be learning school stuff at school.
Eventually these little high school girls started handing out packets with our children's names on them. Only mine was not there. So now I am officially annoyed, I was annoyed before, now it was official! So then they finally in between hello and hola get the teacher who says no I don't have him on my class roster. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!! She then let me know the teeny boppers would lead me to where I needed to go. They were idiots too and ZERO help. So I smiled and laughed a this is F***ing ridiculous laugh, and left the room. Seriously this is kindergarten and we cant figure it out, I am a little worried now about even lunch time. Heaven forbid we go outside on recess we will lose half the class.
In the hall I flagged down a person who had some job there, she held a school clipboard so she must have been official. She explained how two teachers have almost the same name. Ekstrom, and Elstrom. And how they have been getting them mixed up. So . . . we are aware this is an issue? maybe I don't know we would have found a means to work on that a bit huh?
Once we were finally directed to the right class, I began feeling better. There was no interpreter repeating every word. He was on the roster, and with the teacher I met on the kinder camp day that I did like. They were immediately learning and finding letters as well. So as we got settled, and it began time for the parents to start departing.
The kids did this little thing, took a drink of water, hugged the parentals, and then said goodbye. Well Mr. Shy was not so shy at this point so he half hugged me and turned to leave. I told him it was ok to be a little sad . . .Ill see you soon . . . Marcus . . . Ill just stand here a little longer . . .k buddy? They guy next to me was laughing at this point (he was a judger). My son did not acknowledge any of the above said things. I just thought he should have been a little more sad that I was leaving him there with complete strangers, that's all. I did stand there a few more minute . . . I'm a mom . . . I'm allowed a weepy mom card.
First day of Kindergarten. I'm skipping it with the next child.
