Spot goes to School

Both James and Mary Martin started school last week (okay about a month ago - I am a little behind on my posts!).  James attended four days last week and this week was his first full week of Pre-K.  Mary Martin had a very gradual transisition and today was her first full day, though she is only attending half days from nine until noon. 

I was so excited to send them to school.  James was ready and eager to be engaged again.  His little brain needs exercising!  And he was ready for some friends.  I mean, younger sisters can't comprehend the complexities of the railways of Sodor like other boys. 

I thought Mary Martin was ready for some friends and fun as well.  I knew she needed to be around other kids her age and Jim and I both thought a break for me would do us all some good. 

Well...  Let me tell you about today.

Drop off is at 9 am.  The ride in was typical.  Mary Martin was a little whiny on the bus but all was well.  James was very excited as today was SWIMMING!  His class will swim one day a week and today was the first day.  So James was all smiles as we approached school... 

Until we heard from another mom that the pool is broken.  Wait, what?  It is an indoor pool, how did it break overnight?  Come to learn, a pump was broken and only discovered this morning.  So, no swimming.  Crap. 

It's okay James.  Y'all will still go to gym and you like gym, right? 

No mommy, don't go.  I don't want to stay here and go to gym.  You stay with me, please...

Great. 

I left James in tears.  And believe me, he doesn't cry that often any more, but they are big and round tears complete with a pouty lower lip.  I just had to walk away.  The teachers were helping but I just had to leave, because it was time to take Mary Martin to her classroom.

So Mary Martin has not transisitioned easily.  This is due to three things I think:

1.  I assumed she would transisition easily and left her too soon and for too long.  In the first couple of days, I left quickly and just knew she would recover.  But so did the rest of the parents.  It was a free for all for the first few days with Mary Martin the clear looser.

2.  She hasn't bonded with her teachers.  Mary Martin has two teachers for 16 kids (!).  One speaks English and one speaks French.  They are both fluent, of course, but they try and speak in their native languages so the kids can get used to hearing both languages.  It is a bilingiual school after all.  Mary Martin's English teacher was one of James' teachers last year, so again I assumed, Mary Martin would love Sophie right away.  She "knew" her after all - having seen her with James last year.  No go.  She is nervous, even frightened around Sophie.  Ok, so can the other teacher step in?  She can, but it is not, how shall I put this, "the French way."  The French school system is general can be seen as harsh by American standards.  Let's just say they are much less touchy feeling.  MM's French teacher is very sweet and great with kids.  But I don't believe she will sing Mary Martin into being comfortable.

3.  There are 16 other toddlers also having separation anxiety as well.


The result was that Mary Martin's teachers asked me to just stay with her a few days in the classroom.  To make her more happy with the room and the system, first, and then work on mommy leaving.  I didn't think this was the right approach with Mary Martin but I did what they asked. 

Which meant I was around school all day.  Today, after I left James in tears over the no swimming day, I started to go with Mary Martin's class out to the playground.  And as we started to leave, here comes James' class going to the playground too.  They tried to get me to hide from his class but there was no where to go.  We were all going to the same playground after all.  And why were we all going at the same itme, anyway?!?!  It has one slide, people.   

More tears from James, upon seeing mommy.  But I was tied up with Mary Martin and couldn't go with his class.  His class can make it the block and a half to the playground much faster than Mary Martin.

So I inched along with the toddlers, sliently praying that James would calm down.  I started to debate whether we should just call it a day and take both kids home when I realized something was wrong with James on the playground.  As got closer and closer to the playground, I saw James' two teachers hovering over him...  Then I figured it out.

Nosebleed. 

James was having a nosebleed at the playground.  Which he gets every six months are so.  Great.  Cue Mary Martin getting upset again...  Which she did of course.  New tears as I left her unattended to help James with his nosebleed. 

Awesome. 


Mary Martin has this little book in her classroom called Spot goes to School.  Spot does not want to go to school but throughout the course of his first day there he gradually learns to have fun.  Of course he makes a big mess in the process with the paints at art class.  But he has fun and learns how great school can me.

My crew?  Just a trail of blood and tears. 

Keeping our fingers crosses that things improve.