The First Day of School

The First Day of School

Today I swiped a technique from Mir of Kitchen Table Reviews and interviewed my kid.

Back when you were starting kindergarten, I asked her, were you worried about anything?

YES, she said, and reeled off a vivid list: she was worried that she wouldn't have any friends, the teacher wouldn't like her, she wouldn't like the teacher, the bus driver would be mean, the bathroom would be really, really, far away…

In fact, none of that happened. She made lots of friends, the teacher was warm and wonderful, the bus driver was a jolly fellow right out of a Norman Rockwell painting, and the bathroom (not surprisingly) was right near the kindergarten classrooms.

School starts again for us next week, and my now-almost-third-grader seems totally at ease. She'll even be walking to school by herself! It's hard to believe this is the same kid as that worried new kindergartener I remember from three years ago, setting off bravely for the school bus in a hand-crocheted poncho that was almost as big as she was.

I've been reminded of that scary starting-school feeling in the last few weeks at work, every time a worried parent or helpful teacher asks books to calm anxiety about the first day of school. There's no shortage of material, but my favorites are often checked out already around this time of year. In my ideal library, with multiple copies of everything readily available, here's what I'd press into those helpful (or shaky) grownup hands:

To bolster an extra-worried kid (or parent): The Kissing Hand or Wemberly Worried

For the kid with a sense of humor: I Am Too Absolutely Small for School or The Teacher from the Black Lagoon

For the eager beaver who can't wait to jump right in: Emily's First 100 Days of School

For the family who likes to read chapter books together: Ramona the Pest (the scene where Ramona is told to "sit here for the present" has to be one of the funniest fictional misunderstandings ever)

For the teacher who wants to reassure kids that the first day is a big event for him/her, too (and provide a quick and fun alphabet review along the way): Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

And for everyone who's starting school for the first or the fourth or the twentieth time: squeaky new markers, friendly and vigilant crossing guards, welcoming teachers, and a wonderful year.

August 26, 2008

Comments

[Charlotte]

Yes well. You left out the fun for the parent as she tries to buy everything on the lists--worried both about the cost (I just dropped $60 bucks) plus the anxiety of being told to get a specific brand and type of glue and the biggest craft store around not having it but they told me that what they had was exactly the same thing but what if it's not????? And I bought the 6 four inch glue sticks as ordered but glue guns come in different sizes and although Ben was pretty sure it was the big kind we are not certain. If only I had not left it all till the day before. And we haven't tried to relocate the back packs yet, or put name tags on the spare clothes, or done our summer reading. Nor have we sat down and cooperated while our hair was trimmed.

So where's the comforting book for me????