We're into our third week of school and it seems that everyone is getting into the swing of things. Mostly!
Sebastian
is settling into his usual rhythm with school and friends - the soccer
game at lunch recess is the highlight of his day, and everything else is
just meh. He has a lot of friends in his class this year and that's great. But some days his stomach hurts and he is unenthusiastic about
going at all; some days he goes to the school nurse's office for an extended
break. (This is a compromise - he used to just ask to come home whenever he felt anxious or had an unhappy feeling in his belly. Now he sits there for 15 minutes and then goes back to his class. I think he just gets overwhelmed by the noise and clatter sometimes and needs a break.) He plays on the school field every day after school with whoever
is there to play with - a rotating cast of characters and friends. He plays soccer,
football, basketball, baseball, four-square, dodgeball... he makes forts
in the forest and collects lost lacrosse balls. We are so fortunate
to live in such a safe community, across from the school, so that he can
freely roam for hours each afternoon. I love his independence and confidence. (I am not feeling particularly
excited by his teacher this year, or by the prospect of 3rd-grade
standardized exams, or by the fact that he has apparently done half the
curriculum already. He was in a 2/3 blended class last year and they covered a lot of 3rd grade work - I don't understand the school's plan for his education this year.)
I
am once again remembering how to get ourselves ready and out the door
each morning: make breakfasts, pack lunches for kids and myself, get
everyone dressed, brush teeth, pack backpacks, find library books... am I
ready for work? Ack! Two-minute shower, chug coffee, run out the door!
I've been remembering how much I dislike the whole lunch and
snack-packing ritual. Every morning is more of a sprint than it should
be and adding Liesl to the mix just ramps up my sense of frazzlement.
(Is that a word?) She can be really slow and she gets distracted easily
by conversation, books, her toys, choosing clothes, etc. She comes by it
naturally, I know - a Ford family characteristic shining through! - and
she tries really hard to be good. But Sebastian can't bear to wait for
her - he leaves at 7:43, the earliest he can, and after much reminding
and nagging she heads out at 7:53, two minutes before the first bell
rings.
Liesl is doing really well so far in
kindergarten. The first week or so was hard - she was anxious and
exhausted and extremely emotional at home. And she was lonely and unsure
of herself, despite knowing quite a few children in kindergarten at FPE
- all of her particular friends are in different classes. She also
seems to have a particular conception of friendship, where it's just her
and another little girl playing together - she doesn't want it to be a
group, or even three children. She's looking for a best friend, someone to call her own. At recess, for example, if a friend she
knows is playing with another friend, she refuses to go over and join
the play. So there were a couple of unhappy days where she said she
stood around and played with nobody, and my heart hurt for her.
But
then! Last Thursday she came home and reported that she had made a
friend named Nora. Upon questioning, it turned out that Nora loved the
monkey bars (check!), playing family (aka house... check!), and
pretending to be an animal (check!). A triple score! As it turns out,
Nora is also a little shy and slow to warm up to large groups, and
doesn't yet have many little friends. Liesl and Nora have played
together every day since then and I'm delighted. There was a school
picnic last Friday night and we made a point of meeting Nora and her
parents there. They seem like lovely people and so I promptly invited
Nora to come over for a playdate. It's tomorrow. Liesl is super excited.
Unlike
her brother, Liesl loves to come home and tell me all about the day -
the in-school field trips to read signs and look for text; searching for
Pete the Cat and his school shoes all over the school; drawing pictures; the
songs they sing in music; the lesson they learned in technology; the
lunches (and treats!) that other children eat; the petty misbehavior of
other children; various things that Mrs. LaTocha has said that are now
gospel. It's sweet. I took some pictures of Liesl's projects and
drawings from the first two weeks.