Wednesday, November 28, 2012

An Important Year Of 'School'



Grace’s kindergarten orientation session yesterday morning went brilliantly, something which surprised me following her behaviour the night before.  In hindsight, I had built things up too much for her before bed.  As I tucked her in, we chatted about her big day ahead and about getting to meet her new teacher before saying goodnight and turning out the light.  However, our conversation must have left Grace lying in bed feeling anxious as she made an appearance in our living room numerous times with excuses of needing to go to the toilet, wanting a sip of water or pleading with me to lie with her.  Sensing her nervousness, I initially responded with compassion and care.  By the third of fourth time, I mumbled something about Father Christmas watching her and she disappeared back to her room without a squeak. 

And so our session yesterday surprised me.  Grace greeted her teacher confidently and introduced herself as well as her little sister.  She skipped off to the drawing activity whilst I sat at another table filling in forms and she then proceeded to give her teacher a full description of what she’d drawn.  She was the only child in our session I heard talk.  When our half hour was over, Grace looked up sadly from her play dough creation and said, “But I don’t want to go home yet Mummy, I want to stay longer.”  I smiled at the teacher and told her I’d been anticipating the opposite reaction.  Of course yesterday, I was still within sight and the transition session in a fortnight’s time where Grace will spend an hour doing activities with her teacher in her new classroom without me will be the real test. 

I returned home yesterday though feeling at ease and with a real sense of peace about the whole kindy journey ahead of us.  Grace’s teacher was warm and sweet natured, greeting the children kindly and making the parents feel welcome and valued.  It left me thinking about what people perceive as the most important year of a child’s primary school education.  As a parent, I can definitely see the significance of that initial experience in a kindergarten or pre-primary learning environment as it sets the scene for the years ahead.  As for my own kindergarten experiences though, I don’t remember much besides the bridal veil in the dress-up corner and the mud pies I made in the sand pit.    

What has been the most important year of schooling from your own experiences?

10 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that both you and Grace had such a positive experience yesterday morning at kindergarten, it will make the experience of her going without you so much smoother although it will still be difficult for both of you to say goodbye. For me, in my experience I think that year 1 is the most important year of schooling. It's so important for children to have a positive learning experience, to get that good foundation, without it the rest of the schooling can be more difficult. xx

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    1. Very true Catherine. That first year of formal schooling is definitely an important one.

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  2. On the first day of Kindergarten, when I was 5, I met my new friend Rhoda. We were fairly new to the area (New Jersey) and I hadn't met any kids yet. My mom sensed my fear and suggested I go up to someone who looked nice and introduce myself. I did just that, choosing the girl with the white-blonde hair and blue eyes. I said, "Hello, my name is Claudia. Would you be my friend?" She said yes, and we've been best friends ever since. Our entire childhood was spent together. When I was 13 and my parents and I moved to upstate New York, our bond grew even stronger. Now, as adults, I consider Rhoda my sister. Her friendship was certainly the best thing that came from my first year of school.
    Claudia

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    1. Claudia, that is the sweetest story ever! I can't believe you're still friends from kindergarten - amazing!!

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  3. So glad she had a good time, I'm sure she will settle in brilliantly at the transition and next year. Always nice to be getting a teacher that you are comfortable with as well!

    I don't remember anything about K, PP or Yr 1. Mum tells me I got to the first day of PP, waved goodbye to her at the door and walked in, hahah!

    I remember having a really good teacher in Year 4 and 5 (same teacher) who helped me to understand maths better but then we moved towns half way through the year and my math went downhill again. I more remember good teachers than good years, my soce teacher in year 9, my fabulous history teacher in year 11, (followed by the worst teacher I have ever had in my life teaching me history in year 12), my human bio teacher for year 11 and 12 and and my english teacher in year 12.

    I still think K and PP are the most important formative years because those are the year where you begin to develop your attitude towards school and learning and I think (sadly) that the teacher can sometimes make or break that attitude.

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  4. Hi Amanda..it is good that you remembered the things you enjoyed about Kindy. It can't have been too traumatic. I hope Grace's experiences are good too.

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  5. I'm glad to hear it all went well, and yes, I agree, the real test will be when you leave Grace for that hour. I hope it goes well. My neice loves going to school and in fact spent most of the lead up to the start of the school year in her uniform. It was so cute.
    Staring children off on the right footing with positivity is so important xx

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  6. Oh Amanda that is a beautifully written story , it will be so lovely to read back on in years to come. I got a little tear.
    Karyn x

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  7. Oh gosh. The little story + the photo of the overized backpack on a little girl is too too much for me. What a little darling. She's going to love that classroom x

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