The biggest con has been that she is gone all day and then has to come home and do homework. Really all she has to do is read but depending on the books they send home this can take 20 minutes or an hour and a half. After 7 hours at school that is a lot to ask of a 5 year old. It's even more to ask of a highly emotional-highly energized Elese.
We had a chore chart all made so the school year would be a success...it lasted a week or two. First thing she did when she woke up was make her bed.
So day one of school was great. She met friends and was nervous and exciting at the same time. They put out a red carpet on the first day to make it extra special for the kids. It's kind of a pain and took a while to get them in the door but it gets them excited about the day and helps them feel special.
Things I've learned about Elese since she started school...
-She's a people pleaser (by people I mean everyone but her her mom)
-She is very smart
-Because of her ability to please people her teacher loves her
-She is quite calm at school
-Because she is calm at school (and because it's all day) she has a melt down at least everyday
-This too shall pass...or at least get better...the melt downs have become less frequent as the year has progressed
-She is very detailed about the rules for her "Girls Club" - she even takes roll
-Some girls in the club like to boss her around and she gives into them...I'm working on that-don't want my girl to be a pushover or taken advantage of
-When she reads at home she tends to guess the words so she doesn't have to take the time to sound it out...this is not very productive of her
-She is shy at school-or at least around her teacher
-She LOVES when I come to her class and always greets me with a hug and a kiss
-She fears getting in trouble
So a little more on helping her class. Her teacher is very T4...that's a DYT term. Basically she likes to have everything in perfect order and total control over the class. At first I really liked this and thought it was good for Elese...now I fear it's smashing her personality. She tries so hard to be the perfect student that when she gets home everything she's bottled up all day just comes pouring out in laughter or tears. Mostly tears. I think structure is great especially at a school where most of the kids don't have much of it at home but I also think things are a little overly structured for kindergarteners. Anyway-like Max's class there are kids that obviously are having trouble at home. I love them all and pray for them. Also-I really want to just bring Andy home. He loves to give hugs and is very sensitive and will randomly cry in class. I just want to sweep him up and make all his problems go away.
So at this point (3/21/13) Elese is ready really well. I'm quite certain that she's reading as well as Max did when he started first grade...or at least she is reading books that are more difficult. She's also starting to have the girl drama-you know little girls saying things like "I don't like you so I'm going to tell Caitlyn that she can't be your friend". Don't get me wrong-Elese isn't a sweet little princess all the time but it's sad to hear her say things like this. We always discuss it and decide what provoked it and if she owes someone an apology or if she should just play with friends who are nicer to her.
I love Elese so much. She does tend to drive me a bit bonkers but she makes up for it by lightening the mood and creating a more fun (and loud) atmosphere. I'm doing my best to be a better mother to her and appreciating her for who she is because she is pretty fantastic.
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