First Week of School

I have no photographs of Jack going off to school this past week.  If you and I are friends on Facebook, and you happened to read my posts there, you know why:  I simply did not want the visual reminder of the crying, screaming, temper tantrums.  I don't need the visual reminder of Jack refusing to get out of the car, crying as the preschool director gently carried him into the building.  

The entire week, we struggled, not just with Jack, but with ourselves.  Had we chosen the correct path for our sons' education?  The right school? This year is Jack's first year to attend 5-day preschool, even though it's only half-day.  Should we take him out?  Should we homeschool?  Should we consider holding him back?  What is the right course of action for not only Jack, but our entire family?

The hardest thing for me this past week has been the loss of his free mornings.  Mornings that are usually reserved for mud, sticks, stomping through the woods with Scout, and playing with his best friend, Sam.  All gone. All replaced with a classroom.  Replaced with standing in line, being quiet in the hallway.  Not exactly what I think a 4-year-old boy should have to endure.  

Then, my parents had the most wonderful idea.  It was Friday.  We had survived the week and were all mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted.  Friday had been rainy-- very, very, rainy-- but by Friday afternoon, the skies were clearing up and there was a slight breeze, making the humidity bearable.  My parents decided that a great way to end the week (and start the weekend), was to take the boys out to our family land just outside of town and play in the fabulous little creek that cuts through it. Dad has been working with this creek for a long time, putting in a culvert to make sure the road wouldn't wash out, and his hard work has paid off--not only is it a lovely little creek, but it attracts a lot of wildlife.

Anyway, Friday afternoon was the first time any of us were able to relax, clear our heads, and just be ourselves.  This is what I want to remember from Jack's first week--my boys, simply being boys.  Free of school uniforms.  Free of rules and desks.  Free of schedules.  It was fantastic.

The following are a few pictures of the afternoon. I've captioned them as best as I can.

Jack, sans uniform.

Sam: no stranger to mud.

Jack enjoys being alone.  After this week, his solitude was earned.

Things started getting crazy when Sam decided to go native.

Well if Sam was allowed to be naked, then Jack wanted in on that action!

When the boys were finished playing, we loaded them up in the pickup and drove them over to the hose to get cleaned up. There was water and animal crackers waiting for them in the bed of the truck.

Friday evening, Jack's teacher, Mrs. B, called.  We had asked for a report, and she took time out of her Friday night to talk to Kyle for almost an hour.  From the limited encounters I have had with Mrs. B, I can tell already that I like her.  She is probably around my mom's age and had many, many years of experience.  I am sure she's seen it all.

What she said to Kyle wasn't anything we hadn't already discussed amongst ourselves:  Jack is smart, she can tell that.  His intellect is fine and right on track.  His emotional maturity, however, is somewhat behind.  Again, nothing we didn't already know. He's quirky, but he also has a level of emotional immaturity that honestly, can only be fixed with time.  Being particular, he believes things should happen a certain way, and when they don't, he doesn't know how to handle it.  Again, he will learn to deal with this over time.  He gets this particular quirkiness from his dad, but he also gets a stubborn streak from me, so he has received somewhat of a genetic double whammy.

Anyway, our course of action at this point is:  stay on course.  To hold him back would only bore him intellectually in the long run, and potentially cause more problems.  Now that we've made contact with Mrs. B, she knows that we're on the same team and that while she will stay on top of him at school, we will continue to do the same at home.  Knowing that we have not only a teacher, but a school, that is dedicated to Jack's success, not only academic success but overall success, is reassuring.

So for now, we're just going to take things as they come.  And in the meantime, we're going to hold onto childhood for as long as we can.  Now, where is the nearest creek?