Starting School

School began more than a week ago and I would have written all about it by now if I had not forgotten my camera on that first day. Being the parents we are, we did take pictures -- just with our cell phones. And now I must learn some new technology -- how to get those grainy photos off of my cell phone and onto my computer. You know that old saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention"? Well, for me, technology is the mother of headaches. But have no fear, I will figure it out -- and then the calls can come pouring in, and I can help you get all those pictures you have taken on your cell phone onto your computer.

Back to the school thing. . . It has been going well. Julianne is in 2nd grade and Catherine is in Kindergarten. I can't believe they are so grown up. It is an interesting thing -- sending kids to school. Julianne was nervous and timid as a kindergartner and Catherine is not at all. Catherine acts like she has spent the last 2 years of her life preparing for this day (oh wait, she did!). Julianne is a little nervous and timid even now, but Catherine is ready to cut all the apron strings. She says to me, "Mom, do you have to walk us in-- I think we are ready to do it alone."

When Julianne was in Kindergarten they had a clip chart (a behaviour thing -- they each had a clip on it with their name and as they behaved well they clipped up (from green to blue to purple) and when they caused problems they clipped down (from green to yellow to orange to red). Every day Julianne would have to color in her position on the chart and I would initial it. I always knew what she was up to. In Catherine's Kindergarten class, they too have a similar chart, but they do not inform me of the colors for each day, but Catherine does not realize this. The third day of school she was very quiet on the bike ride home and when I went through her backpack she finally confessed that she had had a "yellow" day. She seemed to think that as soon as I opened her folder I would see that and demand an explanation. I asked her what happened and she explained that a boy at her table could not find his glue and scissors. She said he looked everywhere and then asked the teacher to help and she had to clip down when the teacher found them. I asked her,"Now Catherine, where were they?????" She said, "I was sitting on them!" And then she started laughing and explaining how funny it was to hide his stuff. Catherine has always been the tease and I must say school has yet to tame her.

The funny part is that there was no way I would have known any of this without her volunteering all the info. So now I pretend to look through her folder to see what color her day was . . . the problem now is they are teaching the kids to read and someday soon she will realize that there is nothing in her folder at all about her behaviour and "color."