Kindergarten, Done and Gone


I had high hopes for kindergarten. Not just for my daughter but for me as a parent (especially as a former teacher). Overall, kindergarten went well. Initially, there were the ups and downs of maneuvering all the social aspects of a classroom with only five girls, in which two of them were the ringleaders, "mean girls", or whatever label suits them. The teacher did not foster a warm and inviting atmosphere, and I don't think P felt safe or even didn't feel like she was being heard when she had valid concerns. The teacher wasn't big on communicating. 
I tried to volunteer in the classroom but was often told there wasn't anything to do. Since I only had Fridays off (and Fridays were short days with noon dismissal), I gave up and Friday morning became my errand day. Plus, with my gall bladder attacks, "normalcy" was kinda put on hold for about 4 months and by then school was coming to a close.


So, I felt like an utter failure when it came to being the parent to be involved in all things school-related. No room mother. No volunteering in the classroom or field trips. I didn't even really help my child learn to read. Every once in a while I'd break out the sight word flash cards, but for the most part, Mrs. McCarty taught my daughter about reading, writing, and 'rithmetic during her first year of institutionalized schooling.

If I felt that Mrs. McCarty suffered in the "warm and fuzzy" department, she sure made up for it in the academic realm. P blossomed the later half of the year. Her confidence grew, she's reading, writing, and doing the math thing. As parents, we couldn't be more proud.

Socially, P was able to figure things out. She knows enough to be a leader and not a follower. She made friends with another child Mazie in a different kinder class so she's smart enough to avoid the girl drama in her own classroom. 

I am just so thankful that she enjoys being at school. Sure there were the days when she whined and said she didn't want to go to school (especially in the beginning). But, I think my girl has the hang of it now and I hope she continues to blossom and grow each year.




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