First day of school!

This morning excitement was running high, once I got them up. They were both tired after staying up so late the past couple of nights, and I let them sleep in 15 minutes longer than I originally intended. But they were going great after I did wake them up, and we buzzed around quickly and walked out the door ten minutes early. We found their classes, and I eventually had to kiss each one good bye.

I came home and exercised... and felt lonely.

It's a little after 11:30 am. Last year I had a half day kindergartener, and at this time we'd be walking home soon from school, deciding what to have for lunch and what to do with our afternoon until we walked back over to pick up her big sister from 1st grade. I go to pick up Thing 2 in about an hour, she has half days for the first two weeks, a testing period for the teachers and an adjustment period for the students.

I am more worried about Thing 2, going from 1/2 day to full day school, and having a teacher we don't know. This teacher is described as "the teacher everyone hopes for" and is "strict but fair." I just worry that the strict part will be hard for my little muffin for a while, who has a tendency to speak out in groups. I like her willingness to say the funny thing she's thinking, but I realize that in school that sort of behaviour is sometimes distruptive, and often is somewhat curtailed. I just hope curtailing it doesn't hurt her feelings. We had hoped that having this teacher would be good for her because last year she expressed real problems with other kids around her being disruptive when they were supposed to be sitting at their table doing work. She is kind of a Noise Nazi. I realize the irony of my daughter being upset by other people making noise, while I'm trying to protect her willingness to speak out, but I like to believe she is just already exhibiting an awareness for the appropriateness of speaking your mind during a group learning session on the rug, and keeping quiet when everyone is supposed to be quietly working at their desks. Her kindergarten teacher was quite good at keeping order, but even so there were moments at Thing 2's table when she was so busy shushing everyone she wasn't getting much done. Can't wait to pick them both up.

--- Later
School went very well for both girls, no problems in either case. I think we're going to have a good year. Here's Thing 1 with her teacher.