He's been SOO excited all summer about school--every time we pass Happy Harbour, he yells "That's my school!" We've been talking about it so much...and I knew he was excited about it! A few weeks back, we got our welcome package from the teacher--Ms. Nancy and Ms. Roni. It had a class roster and I was SHOCKED that there is not another Jackson in his class! Thank goodness! I love the class ratio--14:2. And there are alot more girls in the class...he'll love it!
He is a Starfish on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-1:30pm. And when I say that the school is 2 streets from our house, I'm not kidding! You turn right, you turn left and into the parking lot! When the new baby gets here, we'll be walking to pick up big brother from school to get our walk in for the day! I'm actually excited about that!
So last Friday was meet your teacher. Adam took off work so that he could be there to see the school and have Jackson show him around (he'd never been there)...and Jackson was SOO excited! "Here's the door!" "Here's the chapel!" They started the day off with Children's Chapel--all of us were invited to come and sing and see what the kids will be doing on Thursday mornings. It was fun! They sang and Jackson danced along with the other kids--and Mommy got emotional. He was having so much fun! I loved it!
After Chapel, we walked down the hall to find his classroom. We found his name on the bulletin board--HE found it! Then spelled it for us! We walked in and there were a ton of people in the classroom! They had the kids tables covered in paper with crayons and Jackson walked right in, sat down, and started coloring! He really didn't move from that spot! Adam and I walked around the classroom and looked at all the centers and activities--we found the job chart and his cubby and his art hanger. We met some really nice Mom's too! Not alot of Dad's there, but that's understandable...it was just meet your teacher!
Jackson DID meet another little girl who sat next to him and colored (the only 2--all the other kids were playing with the toys and in the dressup center). Her name is Lindsey and she is a doll! Her mom was super nice too, and come to find out, we have a lot of friends in common!
We left meet your teacher, and Jackson was STILL so excited because Ms. Nancy told him they would get to paint and color and do all kinds of art stuff! We met the music teacher, too, and I'm not sure what he was most excited about--music or coloring!
Monday night, we got all his stuff together. First, we got together his stuff for his show and tell bag...3 things that describe Jackson: 1) Orange Crayon (becuase his fav color is orange and he loves to color) 2)Thomas the Train (because he loves trains and building track with Daddy-O and PaPaw) 3) an ultrasound picture of his baby brother (becuase he is super excited to be a big brother in a few weeks!)
We had a routine down: snack, bath, brush teeth, read 3 stories and night-night (Daddy did this part!) While they were doing that, I was packing his lunch, ironing his outfit, packing his backpack, filling out the papers that needed to be sent, and getting MY stuff ready for the morning (because I HATE getting up, and I needed to be fully prepared!) Along with charging the video camera and making sure my camera had an empty card and a full battery. Even with all that, I went to bed early!
Tuesday morning! The Big Day! I got up an hour before Jackson to get showered and dressed and myself all ready--and to make his breakfast before he got up. At 8:00am, I went to wake him up, saying "Wakey Wakey! We get to go to school today! Are you so excited?!"...he rolled over, looked up at me and said "I don't want to go bye-byes today Momma." I never mentioned the word school again. No pictures, no video...I got him dressed, he brushed his teeth, we did his hair, we watched Dragon Tales, ate breakfast....then I told him I was going to put his back pack by the front door..."Okay."
I told him we needed to head out the door. "Can I get some pictures of you with your new backpack and lunch box?" "Yeah." We only got a few shots outside...then I went to put him in the van. He didn't say a WORD. He was dead silent the ENTIRE RIDE to the SCHOOL. Just stared out the window. He was SOOO nervous! Thankfully, Daddy-O met us in the parking lot. He got out and put his bag on and grabbed his lunch. We got a few pictures out front....that was all.
As we were walking in, we saw another little boy with the same backpack. I said "Look Jackson! He has the same bag, only in green!" His name was Reed and he looked like a brown haired version of Jackson! And come to find out, he is in Jackson's class! So we walked together to the classroom. As we were going to class, we passed the chapel, where I had told Jackson that Mommy and Daddy would be for the morning b/c we had orientation. He said "That's where you're gonna be?!" "Yup!" On the way, I saw a friend of mine, and we stopped to chat, then Jack looked up at me and said "Momma, I wanna go to my class now." So we hurried to his door.
The doors to the rooms don't open until exactly 9:30am. So, all of us parents and kiddos stood waiting in the narrow hallway--all the while Jackson just stood, silent, staring at the door. Wouldn't even talk to Adam....he wasn't scared, just nervous, I think.
Ms. Nancy opened the door and we walked right in--he was first! He got a name tag for his back, we hung his backpack and his lunch box in his cubby, Ms. Roni too his picture for the bulletin board, and the he found the markers and dry erase boards at his table and sat right down. Once he sat down, he didn't get back up. He stared at the board and colored and didn't talk to anyone. We told him that he got to be the Line Leader for the day! We found his name on the Job Chart--and he was happy about that! But I think if we had said the wrong thing, it would have set him off! He was on the verge the entire morning!
The parents got to stand around for a little bit. I asked Ms. Nancy if they would be having a fire drill that day, b/c if you remember the last time there was a fire drill, Jackson FLIPPED OUT!! And then NEVER WANTED TO GO BACK TO MOPS!! After talking to her for about 5 minutes, I looked over at him, and how big and independent he was, and I LOST it! Here I was, standing and talking to the teacher, Adam standing right behind me, and I start tearing up like a 3 year old! Ms. Nancy said "OH! I have 3 and I completely understand!" I said "I have to go outside! I'm just hormal I guess!" I never even said goodbye to him b/c I couldn't do it. Apparently, Adam took that as his cue to go and say his goodbye. Jackson said "You going to the chapel?" "Yup! And Mommy will pick you up after the goodbye song, okay?!"
Once I walked out, most of the parents followed. Only one little boy was crying, and Ms. Nancy scooped him up and shut the door. And then, Jackson was on his own. For the first time ever.
I went to lunch with a good friend, which was a great distraction for me. I didn't even really have a chance to think about Jack and if he was sad or not. I picked Mom up at 1:00 and we headed back to the school for 1:30 pick up. When we got there, Adam was already in line! He had gotten to the school at 1:00pm!! We were all anxious to see how his first day went! In my mind, he would run out of his classroom just chatting up a storm with his backpack on and give big hugs....nope. He was one of the first ones out, and he walked right over to Adam and said "Let's go home." Straight face. No emotion. Deer in the headlights. Memaw was with us, and he never even looked at her. Nor Mommy. And Ms. Nancy looked up and said to me "Do you have a minute to stay?!" GREAT! NOT A GOOD SIGN! I looked at Mom and we both said "Uh oh. That's not good!" And laughed, but really, it wasn't funny!
Ms. Nancy told me that Jackson had a "minor meltdown" at lunchtime. Apparently, they had walked pass the chapel, and we were there. He didn't get upset then, he got upset when they got their lunches out and Mommy wasn't there. He never "cried tears", he just kept saying "I want Momma. I want Momma." To calm him, they took him down to the office, and apparently he got to run the copy machine with Ms. Laura! He missed lunch and part of recess!
When I asked him about it at the car, I said "Did you eat lunch?" "No." "Why?" "I was crying." "Why did you cry?" "I just wanted Momma." We probed him for a little bit on the way home, but then he said "I don't wanna talk about it anymore." oookkkaaayyy. We let it for the rest of the afternoon. Since then, we've gotten a few little tidbits about the first day. Here are some of the quotes:
"I was the line leader, and does children a-hind me kept telling me "open the door" but I couldn't and then a kid put his hand on the door and Ms. Nancy took his hand off the door. He wasn't listening."
"those kids kept pulling on me and pulling on my legs and then once kid pulled my shoe off."--no clue about this one! He later told Adam that there wasn't alot of room on the carpet for story time and they were all crowding and Jackson's shoe came off!
I'm going to try and update the blog each day when we come home, b/c frankly, the things that come out of this kids mouth are too funny! He tells stories very well about how things happen...and right now, at 11:oopm, I can't remember them all! I just learned that I have to update right then and there, or else I lose it in pregnancy fog!
BUT, I will say, he IS excited to go back. I told him that I cried too on that first day, so now, he says "I'm not gonna cry, and Momma's not gonna cry." Adam asked him, "Why did Momma cry?" "Because she was sad that I wasn't her little boy anymore. And I told her, I'm all growed up now, Momma!" Too sweet!
Stay tuned tomorrow for Preschool Report Day 2!
5 comments:
GG just cried reading this and I had already heard about it. I hope tomorrow is better or I go sneek him out of school. He's still just a baby.
I will be saying a prayer tonight that you actually get him in the van in the morning:) I give it a 50/50 shot.
Choking the tears back - Can't wait to read about his 2nd day!
oh gosh i teared up too reading it, I have to make sure I dont breakdown when Marley goes cause she will if I do.
Camden started school on Monday and I told him I was going to cry. His response "Don't you cry in MY classroom, go to the car to do that!" So I know how you feel. I called Elliott on the second day crying because Camden had a melt down when I took him to class. Good luck! The more he goes the better it will get. Camden is on day 4 and it was much easier.
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