I remember when I started kindergarten. I was so excited about getting to go to "real" school, to have Mrs. Bowers (the most amazing teacher in the entire world, and she was soooo beautiful and wonderful, even if "belly dancing" [whatever that was] seemed like a weird hobby, and how was it anyhow that we knew that she liked to belly dance in her spare time?), to get past "easy math"...
The classroom was magical. There were wonderful dress-up clothes. There was a tile circle with the letters of the alphabet around it. There were tables and chairs and all those kids...
Mark was off to kindergarten this morning. He didn't walk three blocks like I did. He got on the bus.
THE BUS! I didn't get on a bus until eighth grade.
His classroom doesn't have quite as many toys -- there are lots of "learning clubs" with stars on the ceiling to help the teacher designate the places she wants the children to go. There's a lower area with steps down ("The Pit") for storytime. There's a loft. And there's a smiling teacher -- though I'm pretty sure she doesn't belly dance in her spare time.
When Tim and I picked up the boy at school, he was full of excitement: He went out to RECESS! There was a girl in his class named ANNA! She had a RED BOW in her hair! He made a FACE! LOOK, Mommy! It's YOU! His story was "The Meanies Went to School" -- "They were really messy. They ate the kids's pencils. They made a storm of paper. They walked on the ceiling and made paint footprints all over the ceiling! And then the kids were very angry, and they sent them BACK to Meanie-land. And then they went back to school and cleaned up the whole mess. The MEANIES should have cleaned up the mess. But -- eh! -- the kids. But they had fun cleaning up the mess."
The verdict?
"Preschool was fun, but kindergarten is AWESOME!"
Can't wait to find out what tomorrow brings.