There are times when time moves breathtakingly fast.
I’m not the person who says: Time slow down! Or: Oh, I wish we could go back! Or: I’m so sad to see my child’s birthday come.
If that’s you, I definitely don’t mean to make you feel badly, but for me, this wouldn’t be the answer to time issues. I’m always ready, or ready enough, for the next stage. I simply need additional time.
In fact, I need a week between today and tomorrow.
In the case of the July just past, I needed a week extra per week. A one-to-one match would have been nice.
Anyway, back to kindergarten. Our household humans started kindergarten in 1976, but I don’t have a photo of that, though it is likely one exists, and then it was 1981, but again, no photo handy.
So here’s August. I didn’t realize there was a thing with the granite sign until we were on site, but indeed, there was a thing, so we did it.
I was scared stiff for this kid to start kindergarten. I looked at Mrs. Ford’s daily schedule at kindergarten roundup and thought there was entirely too much to fit in a day and I really did not want to relinquish my kid to that kind of busy-ness. But of course teachers are miracle workers. By the time he turned six, he could read a little. And now, making him do his homework is excruciating for me, but he reads like a house afire.
And then Ivy.
Ivy’s class is breaking in a new teacher this year — Miss Jensen — as they did for Miss Hinrichs in kindergarten and Miss Smith in second grade already. They’re an excellent class for this task. Smart. Helpful. Kind. Congenial. So far the first two Misses are married with a couple kids (or almost a couple kids) each, so, Miss Jensen, you may have that to look forward to if this pattern holds.
Sadie went to kindergarten roundup twice. She was all but reading when she was four going on five. But the venerable-albeit-then-retired Mrs. Ford talked me out of an early start because, on that trajectory, she would start college at 17 years old. That’s just not really the best idea (though Chrissy did a great job of it). That should have been obvious to me, but of course I don’t think ahead at all, ever. In hindsight, it was a great decision even without that factor. She was very nervous to start school even when she did. Also, her class consists of free spirits like Sadie herself and it’s a great cohort for her.
Contrary to her name, not everything of significance that has happened to Raina has happened when it was raining, but —
We have been fortunate to attempt an every-other-year pattern of having babies (and thusly starting school) and also to have achieved that. I didn’t realize until several babies in that this is actually very unusual.
August took Raina to school for kindergarten show-and-tell. Ivy took Jenna to school for kindergarten show-and-tell (and Jenna visited second grade also). I’m told I took my brother to kindergarten show-and-tell, but I don’t remember it.
Raina had a different kindergarten teacher from Ivy and Sadie — a teacher who later was Jenna’s preschool teacher. If you’re keeping track, so far this is three kindergarten teachers in four kids.
And now, Jenna.
Jenna is our only child not starting school with a lunch box. Shall we predict whether the USDA ever rescinds the free-lunch-for-every-child thing? History would indicate it lasts into perpetuity.
Jenna came home parroting every word spoken by Mrs. Robison (yep, our fourth kindergarten teacher in five kids over nine years). I predict she will do fine.
This Prairie Life. 