Back To School

We are almost done with the first week of school and for the most part it’s been fairly uneventful. Since it is his first year in real school, Davis was really looking forward to it. Hayden, however, was not fooled by all the first day hoopla and knows that the first day of school brings worksheets and homework and reading, Oh My!

He never once admitted to being excited, even after the big reveal at Meet The Teacher that 2nd graders get to use iTouches for learning games this year.

At this point, four full days have gone by and this is what I’ve gathered.

Chronicles of Kindergarten

Observations on classroom and size of school:

• Kindergarten is bigger than PreK2.
• The cafeteria part where you pick your food up is smaller but where you eat the food is bigger.
• Three centers are open now. Puppets. Blocks. Legos. There is a reading center but Ms. Thacker hasn’t opened it.

Observations on sayings :

• Instead of saying "sit on your bottom", they say "sit on your pockets.”
• Sing-songy rhymes get stuck in your head. Example: Sit on the floor. Sit on the floor. Not on the ceiling, not on the door. That song was stuck in Davis’ head ALL DAY LONG so he had to sing Justin Bieber Never Say Never to “cross it out of his head”

Observations on friends:

• The good news is that Davis already knew three people at school (excluding Hayden). Two Ryan’s and a Mica. (He also met a Patty and a Laney – ha! that’s for you, Mom).
• The bad news is that he has a slytherin in his class. His name is Brooks. (For those of you not living in the Harry Potter World, a slytherin is apparently a bad guy. But I gathered that from wikipedia, because I’ve never watched the movie.)

Rules:

• Regarding lunchtime: Under the table there is a bar and you are not allowed to touch it. Only the cleaners can touch it. Sidenote: During this discussion, Hayden interrupted to admit to touching it once, and found out that all it does if you touch it is lift up and make noise. Big deal, he said.
• Regarding bathroom permission: If you need to go to the bathroom, raise your hand while crossing your fingers, and then after the teacher gives you permission, get the ‘G’ pass or the ‘B’ pass off of the window. Sounds confusing.
• Regarding playground equipment:
• Do not get on top of the tunnel or just “hang out” inside the tunnel. Just go STRAIGHT THROUGH IT. Sidenote: Hayden interrupted Davis again for a slight correction. The tunnel is actually a “curved cylinder” next to the monkey bars. In case there was any confusion.
• Also, do not go under the high monkey bars when someone is swinging.
• Do not walk up a slide.
• If two people are walking on the “balance bean” you can bump into each other, so someone has to “be kind and get off.”
• Do not throw wood chips at people. Even if you are just playing with the wood chips and you don’t see someone when you threw them. (That’s hypothetically speaking of course and did not actually happen to Davis.)

Statements from Second Grade

"It was good."
Except he also has a slytherin in his class: Shahein.

This picture was taken on the first day, right after Davis arrived.

He is opening play-dough and looking at me with a face that says

Play-dough? Really? Kinder is going to be a breeze!