The first day of school is always fraught with a case of nerves, butterflies in the stomach, difficulty falling asleep, weird dreams involving a disastrous day at school, trouble staying asleep, trouble waking up once the morning arrives, and just a teeny bit of excitement at what the new school year holds. And that's just me. I'm sure the kids have some similar feelings about the start of school, only probably with more excitement involved.
I have to say, I was not ready for the summer to be over yet. I have absolutely loved having all of my children at home this summer and having so much unstructured time to just be. Summer is always crazy and busy, but it's a different crazy and busy than it is during the school year. No homework, no endless notes to keep track of, nothing to sign, no lunch money to remember, no 6 a.m. alarm clock, no last minute school projects, no requests for money for this trip or that, no forgetting that it was our snack day, no requests to send in 2 dozen cookies, no fighting the crowds at school pick-up time...you get the idea I'm sure. But I suppose there is also a sense of structure that returns in the fall and can sometimes be refreshing as well. And I do love to hear about the kids' adventures at school and see some of the stuff they bring home--the stories they write are some of my favorite. And having the kids gone allows me to structure my time without them a bit better as well, so that can be a good thing. I just miss them when they're gone and every year when I snap that first day of school picture and see how much they've grown since the last one, I'm reminded how quickly it is all passing by.
Taylor is starting his last year of junior high this year. He is off to a great start in spite of some trouble with his schedule the first few days. They put him in beginning band instead of 3rd year concert band. And he was in the wrong math class as well. Thankfully they got it straightened out and so far Taylor is really enjoying his classes. (And yes, it was still a tiny bit dark outside when he left for school at 7:15).
Kendall and Lynnsey didn't have to leave for school until 8:15 and they are both attending the school just across the street from our house. That is wonderful. I love knowing they are right there and if anything ever arises and I need to bring them something they forgot or if I need to go and pick one of them up, it's just right there and doesn't disrupt my babysitting too much.
Kendall is in 4th grade this year and was very excited to learn that two of his best friends are in there with him. And Lynnsey is in 1st grade this year with her very best friend from Kindergarten. She has the same teacher that Kendall had for 1st grade and we have mixed feelings about it. The teacher seemed excited about having another of our children in her class but she'll soon learn that Kendall and Lynnsey are completely opposite personalities. Lynnsey is happy to be in her class though because Kendall was so excited for her. So far she's handling this teacher's more rigid ways well and even came home on Friday with a Wow award (a slip of paper saying how great she is doing at keeping on task, respecting the teacher, following rules, etc), so we were pretty happy about that.
Anyway, I didn't mean to go off on that tangent. I just want the best for my kids and because of the selfishness and greed and sometimes absolute stupidity of some people, they aren't going to get the best. Not even close to it.
But, aside from all of that, the kids seem happy about the start of school. We're all adjusting to the new schedule. And hopefully this will be a fantastic year.
Oh, and Spencer will have his very own post in another week when he starts preschool. I'll be down to one child at home (plus a couple that aren't mine). I'm sure things will seem very quiet at our house.
I have to say, I was not ready for the summer to be over yet. I have absolutely loved having all of my children at home this summer and having so much unstructured time to just be. Summer is always crazy and busy, but it's a different crazy and busy than it is during the school year. No homework, no endless notes to keep track of, nothing to sign, no lunch money to remember, no 6 a.m. alarm clock, no last minute school projects, no requests for money for this trip or that, no forgetting that it was our snack day, no requests to send in 2 dozen cookies, no fighting the crowds at school pick-up time...you get the idea I'm sure. But I suppose there is also a sense of structure that returns in the fall and can sometimes be refreshing as well. And I do love to hear about the kids' adventures at school and see some of the stuff they bring home--the stories they write are some of my favorite. And having the kids gone allows me to structure my time without them a bit better as well, so that can be a good thing. I just miss them when they're gone and every year when I snap that first day of school picture and see how much they've grown since the last one, I'm reminded how quickly it is all passing by.
Taylor is starting his last year of junior high this year. He is off to a great start in spite of some trouble with his schedule the first few days. They put him in beginning band instead of 3rd year concert band. And he was in the wrong math class as well. Thankfully they got it straightened out and so far Taylor is really enjoying his classes. (And yes, it was still a tiny bit dark outside when he left for school at 7:15).
Kendall and Lynnsey didn't have to leave for school until 8:15 and they are both attending the school just across the street from our house. That is wonderful. I love knowing they are right there and if anything ever arises and I need to bring them something they forgot or if I need to go and pick one of them up, it's just right there and doesn't disrupt my babysitting too much.Kendall is in 4th grade this year and was very excited to learn that two of his best friends are in there with him. And Lynnsey is in 1st grade this year with her very best friend from Kindergarten. She has the same teacher that Kendall had for 1st grade and we have mixed feelings about it. The teacher seemed excited about having another of our children in her class but she'll soon learn that Kendall and Lynnsey are completely opposite personalities. Lynnsey is happy to be in her class though because Kendall was so excited for her. So far she's handling this teacher's more rigid ways well and even came home on Friday with a Wow award (a slip of paper saying how great she is doing at keeping on task, respecting the teacher, following rules, etc), so we were pretty happy about that.
What I am not happy about is the enormous class sizes they have this year. Lynnsey's class has 31 kids! That is way too many. Walking into her classroom is like walking through a rat maze. Tables are everwhere and there is barely room to move. They say that they are trying to shift kids around to lower the numbers somewhat, but they won't change much because all the classes are large. Then Kendall's class which had an acceptable 24 students is going to be getting a lot more. Apparently there were way too many fifth graders this year and so it was decided that they needed to open another fifth grade section. They are doing that by moving one of the 4th grade teachers up to 5th and splitting her 4th grade class between the two remaining 4th grade teachers! So I'm guessing that Kendall's class will gain at least 10 more students. It is so frustrating to me (and to a lot of other parent's and teachers) but because they just keep cutting funding and more funding, this is what we get to put up with. Aargh! Luckily, I think both Lynnsey's and Kendall's teachers do well with discipline so hopefully they'll still be able to get the necessary teaching done. It's just really not ideal and I get so angry with the politicians who don't see anything wrong with cutting out education! And I get even angrier when I hear stories like the one about the new NFL quarterback for the Detroit Lions who just signed something like a 45 million dollar contract! This world is so messed up that somebody who can run around a field to play a game can "deserve" millions of dollars yet someone who shapes the minds of the future and invests hours and hours of work and study to do so, can barely live on her salary.
Anyway, I didn't mean to go off on that tangent. I just want the best for my kids and because of the selfishness and greed and sometimes absolute stupidity of some people, they aren't going to get the best. Not even close to it.
But, aside from all of that, the kids seem happy about the start of school. We're all adjusting to the new schedule. And hopefully this will be a fantastic year.
Oh, and Spencer will have his very own post in another week when he starts preschool. I'll be down to one child at home (plus a couple that aren't mine). I'm sure things will seem very quiet at our house.
6 comments:
I know what you mean about the football player getting all that money and the schools getting nothing. I had that same conversation with Joel last week.
I am sure loving the structure that comes with them going back to school. But I do miss them. Especially my littel ones. ;0(
I don't get too upset about athletes receiving lots of money. Because that is NOT government money, and my tax dollars don't go to fund it. Okay, maybe some local tax dollars for stadiums etc., but in general, not. What infuriates me is the government bailing out every failing corporation and giving my money to corrupt things like ACORN, and wanting to pay trillions more on socialized medicine that NO ONE WANTS!!!!!...but letting our schools suffer. 31 kids? In a first grade classroom? Obscene! I was upset with Cecily's 19 this year. And I haven't figured out how many Isabel has this year but I think it's over 20. She has team teachers, though, and they do something with switching groups for math and reading, so I'm not sure how it all comes out.
I agree with Alison on the not getting mad at the sport money. I wish of course that they would maybe donate some of that money that they get for playing a game to the school education system though! I also agree that 31 kids is a lot! I remember when I was in Duchesne through the 5th grade that classes were big but not over crowded. When i got to Texas i was one of the 6th graders that was separated out of the main school and put into a separate class because of the size of the classes and they were well over 31. I think someone could get it through the stupid politicians heads that education is so much more important than all of the crap that they are giving the money to!
On a positive note, it is good that they were able to get Taylor's schedule figured out for him and he is very handsome, even without a smile!
Kendall and Lynnsey are looking very nice also and look just a little bit more excited than Taylor!
Good luck to all of them in the school year. I can't wait to read about Spencer!
While I agee with you Alison and Susannah about government funds bailing out ridiculous organizations while the most important things suffer, I still have strong feelings about the salaries of professional athletes, celebrities, and the like. If anyone deserves a 45 million dollar contract, it isn't a football player. Teachers--absolutely! The cardiac sugeon who saved Kendall's life--definitely! Someone who can run around with a ball--not so much. And in agreement with Susannah, yes! They should do more with their wealth than buy gigantic houses and 14 different luxury cars and host extravagant parties and then convince themselves that they just don't have enough to live on! Plus, I think if they want a new sports complex, they should have to buy it, not me!!! All I know is that if I made 45 million dollars, nearly all of that would be donated to worthy causes. No one "needs" that much money. No one.
I can't believe your kids are just starting school! Mine started 3 weeks ago!
I enjoyed everyone's comments. The sad thing to remember is that we (the people) are the cause of the over paid celebrities, athletes etc. If there was less demand there would be less supply. We (the people - not necessarily those commenting on this page). Give volunteerily to sports, movies, etc. But we get mad when we have to pay property taxes etc. That is where the imbalance is. We tell our kids that holding a football is more important.
Ofcourse we need to stay involved and know who we are voting for, so that they appropriate our money wisely. But we all know that doesn't always work either right!
What Nikki said is exactly right, and that is why I get so frustrated. AS A SOCIETY we continue to support celebrities and professional athletes with exorbitant salaries, and we continue to to elect politicians who at best give lip service to the problem, then turn around and fund stadiums for sports teams, pay enormous quantities of money for famous musicians to play at their rallies and victory celebrations, and take time out of their "busy" schedule to flip a coin at the super bowl and throw the first pitch of the baseball season. Furthermore, as a society we continue to allow a broken two-party political system in which one party doesn't have hardly any answers, and the other does, but they are by and large wrong. The issue of support for education vs. entertainment brings to light what we value most as a society, and it is a sad statement.
I'll hop off my soapbox now and get back to work.
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