First Day of School! First Day of School!

This little girl is old enough for her SECOND year of preschool.  HOW did this happen?!

Wasnt she just this big last week!?

Insanely cute.

We had a fun summer learning how to be a family of four and watching our baby girl grow into her roll as Big Sister.  She was very excited to go back to her old school and see her old friends with Ms. Lori and Ms. Maria as her teachers in the Oh-So-Cool Owls class! 

At the end of last year, we paid her registration fee to reserve a spot for Whitney in one of the 3-year-old classes.  Her classmates would also be returning to the school, we had a good experience with the school last year, and while there wasnt a huge focus on academics, it fit our needs since we really just wanted Whitney to learn how to be a friend and get along with others.

I got a nice email from Lori in July, announcing that she would be Whitney's teacher.  I just knew Lori would be a great teacher but I was a little concerned that I didnt recognize any of the names on the email list as classmates from last year.  I had asked that Whitney be placed in a class with "a few of her friends from the two year old room." The director assured me that she had "only ever NOT been able to fulfill a request ONE time in all her years as director" and lead me to believe that Whitney would be in a class with some of the kids from her previous class.  I named some names and said "Kari and Brandi know who she really 'clicks' with and who she would do well with", and I felt confident that our request would be honored.  I didnt want to be "that mom" who demands a certain teacher or a specific class list, as I might have to play that role at a later date when its a bit more important.  But I was happy to hear that Whitney would have a few friends in her new class, along with new friends to meet and get to know.

Fast forward to Meet the Teacher day.  I was very surprised to learn that Whitney would be in a classroom with two teachers and only six students.  A lot of parents would do back flips at this scenario, I understand that.  And in second grade or if my kid was struggling or when there is more material to learn in the year, I would LOVE for Whitney to be in a small group.  But when we are sending Whitney to school to learn how to socialize appropriately, five classmates wasnt gonna cut it.  She tends to dominate small groups (not always a bad thing) and I need her to learn how to be a good leader AND a team player.  She wouldve run circles around a few of the kids in that class, and they just wouldnt challenge Whitney the way she needs right now.

I know Whitney well enough to know that she couldve done great in that class, but she just needs more. She was happy and excited to be there for Meet the Teacher and her first two days of school there, but when the class list dropped to just five students on Wednesdays, I was having visions of a crying, bored Whitney pleading with me to allow her to stay home from school.  I just know she needs more kids at this point in her little life as a student.

She's eager to learn new things and jump right in but in six weeks, I wouldve been prying her off me and having to dart for the door.  Not fair to anyone...Whitney, me, the other kids, or her teachers.  So when I dropped her off on Wednesday I talked to the director about my concerns:

A) 50% of Whitney's class is adopted. (not a big deal, but sorta weird that all three adopted kids were lumped together. I think its a missed opportunity for the other class since they talk so much about Family this year....none of those kids will get any exposure to adoption at this young age. Disappointing.  

B) None of the kids I requested were in Whitney's class. None. And worse? In order to get to the other three year old classroom, the kids and their parents have to walk through Whitney's classroom.  So poor Whitney would be running over to her friends from last year and giving hugs and waving as they allllllll got to happily go play together in "the other three year old class". Not cool. 

C) There are no windows in Whitney's classroom.  

Im a wimp. We have established this.  So I had tears in my eyes and needed to bolt before my frustration boiled over and the tears fell.  So I went home and talked to Eric who's first reaction was "A class of five kids does NOT prepare Whitney for real life. Her Kindergarten class will have three times as many kids...probably more."  So we made a call to the Director to discuss our concerns in detail.  Im not really sure what they couldve done to address our list, since I didnt expect them to pull any of the kids from the other class just to satisfy my request.  And I didnt want Whitney to go to the other class because that teacher is leaving to have a baby this Winter.  I think I just wanted to address the issues personally with the director and see if she had any feedback or potential solutions I hadnt thought of yet.

Hours went by and I was growing more and more annoyed.  I made one phone call to a fabulous preschool I substituted at about five years ago.  I loved it, it was just 50 yards away from Whitney's school, and they had one opening in a three year old class.  This school has a great reputation for academic excellence.  We originally wanted Whitney to go to a church-based preschool for socialization purposes.  She already knows most of the stuff she will need to know for VPK next year, but she needs to learn how to get along with others.  Well, this new school has the socialization aspect (11 kids with 2 teachers) AND a great academic focus.  

By the end of the school year, kids in the three year old classroom are typically able to count to 100 by 1s, 5, and 10s.  They can write their first and last names.  Half of them are reading. And they are exposed to art, music, Spanish, Sign Language, Japanese, and Chinese throughout the year.  They have a science lab. A beautiful art room.  And the kids grow a garden in a green house in the back of the property.  Its just a great, well-rounded curriculum, and its only $60 more each month. Totally worth it. 

It doesnt have the religious aspect, and Whitney did ask why she didnt go to chapel the first day at her new school.  But I would bet that 95% of the Bible stories, songs, and lessons she has learned and memorized are from me and Eric, Awana, VBS, and church on Sundays.  So Im not worried about her there. 

When the second day went by, I had toured the other school, and STILL not heard from the director of the first school, I made the choice to pull her from her old school and start fresh at her new school on Friday.

Whitney was SUPER excited about the new school and asked if she could go there right away.  She woke up from her nap after we toured the school and she asked "NOW do I get to go to the new school??"  I took a risk and asked if she would rather go to her old school (and named a few familiar names there) or if she would like to try the new school.  She thought for a second and said "I will miss Ms. Lori, but I want to go to my new school." 

Done Deal. 

So, we hit the Restart Button on the whole First Day of School show, and she started at her new school on Friday.  She had a GREAT day and really did awesome! A few people asked if she cried (new setting, new faces, etc), but Whitney is a trooper.  She is one of the most secure, confident three year olds I know and she trusts us enough to know we wouldnt leave her anywhere unsafe and that we will always come back to get her.  She loved her first day with Mrs. C (who has been at the school for over 25 years!) and couldnt wait to go back!

Yesterday was her second day and they started doing a Letter of the Week and a Number of the Week.  I was very impressed with the art work she completed in Art class, and Whitney was SO excited to show us how her Marble Painting was made.  She told us everyone was nice and she earned an extra sticker for being a good listener.  She cant remember anyone's names yet, but she says its fun and that her favorite part was Storytime.  

She told me "When we went to the library with Mrs. C, I spotted a SNOW WHITE book there! I showed Mrs. C and she said, 'Dat's AWESOME!'"  She was so proud of herself. :) 

Do I need my three year old to read? No.  Do I think she could pick it up easily in the right setting? Yes.  So why not put her in that setting and see what happens?  She could be happy in a brown paper bag.  She would talk to herself or the walls if I left her alone long enough.  But I need her to be able to get along, share, go through those friendship struggles and learn how to respect others.  She's a super smart kid.  Anyone here remember this:

Or this:

Kid is smart.

So we need to keep stimulating that love of learning while also focusing on her social skills. :)

So...now that she is getting settled into longer days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9am-2pm) she is helping me pack her lunch the night before and really just HAPPY.  

I think we will all be really happy with our decision.

We couldnt get any family pics on the first day at her new school since it was raining and Eric had to get to work (Yes, he took of TWO mornings to make sure he was at her first day at BOTH schools :) )

Just picture this exact same scenario, about 50 yards down the road.  Same dress.  Same bow.  Same big smile.  This girl is so go-with-the-flow....we are blessed!

I just asked Whitney if there was anything she would like to say about her new school.

She shouted, "I LOVE it! Do I get to go to school tomorrow?"

Success :) 

And now that Whitney will be in school again, it gives Grady time to have Mommy all to himself :) So far, he has napped most of our "Mommy/Son" time away....but Im excited about the opportunity to go to the parks or do all the fun learning-kinda stuff I used to do with Whitney when she was this age.  It will also be nice to go grocery shopping again since Eric took over that job all Summer while I had both kids at home all day, every day.  

So far Whitney hasnt expressed an ounce of jealousy about Grady being able to stay home while she goes to  school.  But with her school days being longer, I dont mind picking her up early every now and then if she starts feeling left out.  

On Monday morning, I saw a Dad walking his kids into the school under a giant Clemson umbrella. Another sign we were in a good place :) And at pick-up, we saw a little girl from Whitney's ballet class. And there are two boys from her gym classes in Mrs. C's class, too.  

Its going to be a great year :) 

I cant wait to see what this year brings! This little girl continues to amaze us every day!