Meeting The Teachers

How quickly our summer has gone by!

This week has been full of activities that need to be done in preparation for Samuel and Avery to start school on Monday; hair cuts, dental appointments, trips to Walmart to buy lunch box items, ironing of school clothes, etc. Last night, we all went to the school for "Meet the Teacher" night. We were thrilled to see that Avery got the same teacher that Samuel had in Kindergarten. She is an amazing teacher, and we know that Avery will do really great in her class this year. In Avery's Kindergarten classroom, there is a home living center, complete with a play kitchen and baby dolls. On the bulletin board, each child has their name with the words "Welcome to Kindergarten" in big, bright letters. There are group tables where 6 children all sit together. In the middle of each table is crayons, glue bottles, and scissors. There is a big carpeted area for circle time. There are bean bag chairs in the reading area, with books like Just Me and My Dad, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Brown Bear Brown Bear. It's quite charming and comfortable. Avery felt at ease almost immediately. It was nice.

It's quite interesting, the differences between Kindergarten and 1st grade... It was evident the moment we walked from the Kindergarten hallway into the 1st grade hallway. Samuel, unfortunately did not get the teacher we requested for him to get this year. It seems that the teacher we felt would be best for Samuel took a teaching position much closer to her house. Samuel was assigned to another teacher's class. In Samuel's 1st grade classroom, there are individual desks, no group tables. There are no toys or play centers. There's no glue or scissors left out on the desks. There are dictionaries on the bookshelf. On the bulletin board there was a picture of a sugar bowl that said "We don't sugar coat things in 1st grade." Hmmmm..... I have a feeling things are going to be different for Samuel this year!

Regardless of the "tougher" classroom environment, Samuel's teacher seems nice, and Hector and I are hopeful that Samuel will warm up to her quickly.

One more final note... Avery was more than happy to pose for a picture that her Mommy wanted to take of her in her new classroom. On the other hand, when Samuel saw me reach for my camera he immediately said through clinched teeth "Don't take pictures of me, mom." Request granted!

So, here is 1 picture of Avery in her Kindergarten classroom. More pictures (of probably only Avery) will be posted on Monday, her first day of Kindergarten!!!! :-)