We went to "Meet the Teacher" the week before school started. Jake has the same teacher and a few classmates from last year, so he was thrilled to visit. He actually greeted his teacher with a huge hug. Ford was equally excited about his classroom, he said hi to all his teachers, checked out all the toys and centers, and even tested out the child size potty. They are each assigned a locker outside of their classrooms - Jake Jelly Bean and Ford Fish.
The first day of school finally came and it was a day full of excitement! We both walked them in, we went to Ford's class first. He greeted his teacher with a hug, put his backpack away, gave Jake a hug and walked right in without looking back. We walked down to Jake's class and pretty much the same thing, he put his backpack away and went right in. We knew it couldn't be that easy . . .
I stayed at school for the Parent Welcome Tea, but Daddy left. On Daddy's way out he walked by Ford's classroom and peeked in to see a sad sight. About 9 kids were standing in the middle of the room crying (including Ford). I'm sure it was a domino effect, one started and they all joined in. He didn't let Ford see him, he left and gave me a call.
At pick up they both were all smiles, Ford said "I had a good time" as he was getting in. Jake said it was fun. Later on Ford started telling us that he doesn't like school and he cried because he wanted Mommy/Daddy (which we already knew, but funny how he confessed). He also asked for Jake to be in his class. The next day he started crying in the car on the way and said his stomach hurt, he seemed okay (not happy or sad) when he got out of the car. When I picked him up, he said he cried again. The third day was the worst. He was screaming and reaching for me as they got him out of the car, but it ended up being a turning point day. Ford's class finally visited the playground, and he was so excited to tell me all about it. On Thursday, he was getting a little worried in the car, but one of his Teacher Assistants came to our car to get them out. He perked right up and said "Hi, it's me, Ford" right when she opened the door. He jumped right out and went in with a huge smile.
Jake has been great every day and really loves school (although last year we would have a random sad day). He is excited every morning and was even a little sad over the weekend when he didn't get to go to school. His teacher said she sees a lot of growth from last year. Jake said his favorite parts have been legos, using markers and the playground. Ford said his favorite parts have been legos, computers (and gets to wear "ears" aka headphones) and the playground (of course). It's hard to believe they are in school now and it is just the beginning.
