School is in!

Today was the first day of school. Real school. Public school, with bus service, recess and lunch. Calli was feeling really nervous about going, even though she'd met the teacher last week and seen her classroom. She'd placed all her school supplies in their proper spots and even played out in the school playground. But she was still nervous this morning.

The girls happily posed for a picture with each other before we walked Calli to her stop. Calli was wearing a special wolf necklace that she'd coloured and was to match it up to her teacher's and all the other students in her class. Her teacher would be carrying a stuffed wolf teddy when Calli arrived on the school grounds, so she'd be easily identifiable.

Marin was almost indifferent to the whole morning and all it entailed. It was like any other day to her and she just went along with the motions. She ate a good breakfast and was eager to get dressed and get going to her new pre-school. She even helped comb her own hair.

We walked Calli to the bus stop where 3 other kids were waiting for the bus. We had met 2 of the kids previously but she wasn't all that interested in talking to them. Then.....the bus started coming down our road....and the waterworks came along with it. It was like that rush of air that comes in the underground subway tunnel just before the train arrives. Calli was fully inconsolable. Adam walked up the bus stairs with her and sat her on a seat beside one of the other kids from her stop. But she begged him not to go and had a very tight grip on his shirt, which he had to pry off in order to leave. He reassured her that she was going to be ok and he walked off the bus. The doors closed and off she went. Even though it sounds like it was 30 seconds, it was a few minutes long. Luckily the driver was patient!!

That's Adam consoling our little girl...

Just as we started walking back to our house, Marin commented "Well...She's on the bus!!"

We got into the truck and drove Marin to her new pre-school. She walked in the door, kicked her shoes off onto the mat and threw her sweater down in the middle of the floor. Her teacher came along and immediately gave her the first lesson of going to school. There is a place for everything.

She was shown to the new snack room/kitchen area to put her lunch away and immediately sat down for a quick snack. I think she was extra eager to use the new lunch kit she got at her birthday.

After downing a few squares of cheese, she went to join the other students in the circle for a few songs and name introductions. She is lucky that she knows the majority of the students from the last 2 years that Calli attended. I think it would be overwhelming for her to join a new class where she didn't know anyone, so I'm glad she had that little thing to help her through her first day. Here she is sitting with Katia and her brother, Alexei, who we've spent some good time with. Alexei adores Marin and gives her sweet little kisses each time he sees her. You can see by this picture how comfortable Marin is with him.
After a few silly songs, Marin decided circle time was over-rated and headed off to find something else to do. She was eager to get started on learning how to use the Montessori teaching materials. I am convinced that Marin is going to be just fine at pre-school. She's ready.

So, after speaking with 2 of the other mothers who had older children heading off to public school today, we kind of wondered if the kids are too young for this. Yesterday I didn't think so. Today is another story. It's not that I think Calli is too young to be in school. She is a brilliant girl and an eager learner and I think she's going to love learning French and meeting new people. I think it's just me....and I can hear my Mum laughing at me now....

Calli is my baby. My first born. She was born only 18 hours before my Dad passed away and she was a large part of what got me through my grief. Five and a half years later, she knows when I'm sad and comforts me by rubbing my back, hugging me and telling me she loves me. We have such a great bond, the two of us and I'm going to miss her.

She is so curious about everything and really wants to know the ins and outs of the world. She reads so well and loves picking out books at the library that explain how things work. I know she's going to thrive and end up loving school, but I worry about her sensitivity and how she'll deal with conflict. The world today isn't the same as it was when I was in elementary school. There are so many more things to worry about these days. I don't ever remember the doors to the school being locked and all the strict security measures that the school has to follow. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's all in place. As a Mother, I want my kid to be safe from the things that I can't keep her from. But I was shocked at having to sign a form regarding proper computer usage. Calli only knows how to play Nick Jr games on the computer and we always set it up for her. She wouldn't know how to chat online if someone suggested it and I worry about the things she'll be exposed to while she's in school.

I know... She's growing up and the best thing we can do as parents is teach them right from wrong, enforce good morals and behaviour and spend the most amount of quality time together that we can. She loves to learn and that is exactly what she's going to do. After all, I turned out fine!!