Kindergarten

Only 8 days left until Kindergarten!  Where did the time go?  Is it possible I have two children leaving me for school next week?  Am I really suppose to be this anxious?  The fears are endless...will they starve because they can't open their string cheese? will they even realize they have a lunchbox?  will they forget to go to the bathroom and then be too scared to ask? will they get lost? will they cry?  will they share?  The list is endless...

Then I think about their teacher.  I think Kindergarten teachers have to be saints because anytime I throw a birthday party, I feel like these little rascals wear me out.  How do they do it every day with a smile on their face?  How do they get them all to follow along so they can actually learn something?  What do they do when one is crying? How do they deal with the parents???  Now that has to be a tough one. You have the parents who think their child is the only child and needs special rights. You have the parent who thinks their child is gifted and you can't tell them otherwise.  You have the parent who needs to talk to you everyday about their child. You have the parent who is too busy to talk to you about their child (hopefully not many of those).  And the parent who just can't let go.  I think every parent  may struggle with a bit of each of those but I have resolved that my relationship with their teachers is one of the most important relationships I can foster.  After homeschooling for a year, I have learned how difficult it is to teach the core concepts that build a foundation for future learning.  As parents, I feel it is our job to educate our kids.  Now I have this person, a teacher, willing to do it with me.  She is the one with the experience, energy, and resources to do this job with me and I plan to take advantage of this opportunity for my kiddos.  I look forward to hearing what they learn every day and seeing how I can incorporate this into our daily routine. I look forward to the lists of books to read, math to practice, and projects to create.  I look forward to having two new experts in our lives to help educate our two oldest kids. 
Now, if I could just complain for a minute about the supply list, cafeteria food selection, early start time...