These photos are from after school Friday afternoon. We were taking a break from the pool for cookies and milk. At the end of the day Alex came to babysit so that Braydon and I could go to “Parent’s Night” at K & O’s new school. Here’s what we know at the end of K & O’s first week at the River Valley Waldorf School:
- Everyone at the River Valley Waldorf School tells us the same thing: “Kyle and Owen are very social!” They say the boys are “very social” with the kids in their own room, and they say they’re “very social” with other kids too — one teacher told us she “couldn’t get over them!” (she says this with a laugh) and then told us a story about how she watched them as they talked to an “older girl” in the school hallway one day. (Braydon and I just roll our eyes at each other- can you imagine what these two are going to be like when they’re sixteen?????????)
- Their teacher, Miss Kathy, said that she’s noticed that K & O are “rough.” (At least they’re being themselves right off the bat, right?! And the teacher isn’t getting any illusions in the first week.) She was insistent, however, that “they are no more rough than some of the other boys.” We wish Miss Kathy luck with that.
- Miss Kathy says that sometimes K & O split up, but they mostly “stick together.” She said that they play with lots of other kids together. Interesting.
- Miss Kathy says repeatedly (sorta with a tone of shock and amazement) that K & O are “very good eaters”… They bring their own lunch (which they ate most of each day), and they also make morning snack together in the Acorn Room each day (side note: I can’t even imagine how the teachers accomplish this — making snack with 10-12 three and four year olds??? — I can barely cook with just my two?!/!!!//?!). Anyway, on Wednesday “snack” was brown rice with tahini sauce. K & O reportedly each ate “a huge bowl of it.” Thursday “snack” was oatmeal with maple syrup. K & O reportedly each ate “a huge bowl of it.” Friday “snack” was bread with butter. K & O reportedly each ate “a huge amount of it.” Note that “snack” is at 9:00am and they have just eaten breakfast at home at 7:30am. Uh, yeah, they are “very good eaters.”
- K & O say they “love their new school!”; it is “soooo beautiful!”; and “it is “not like daycare!”
- Owen talks every day about one boy in his class — Matthew. Kyle talks about a boy named Ben.
- K & O say the only part of school they don’t like is “Rest.” No surprise there.
- Highlight of the week for both K & O: “making bread!!!!” (Miss Kathy reported that “the two of them were covered in flour from head to toe!”)
- Braydon and I feel good about the school so far. Our major problem is the lack of racial diversity. The only thing that helps ease that at all is that the people there (like, all of them) are so incredibly embracing. It isn’t just accepting. It is embracing. And not weirdly so. It doesn’t send up red flags for us (the way that horrible-“Can we set up a playdate cuz I’d just love my kid to have a black friend!!!”-thing does). We feel really good about this school, the community, the faculty. We’re really feeling positive about it at the end of the first week.
- Miss Kathy said one of the highlights of the week for her was on Thursday, the 2nd day of school. It was time for lunch and Kyle wanted to sit next to her because he had strawberries in his lunch that day, and he remembered from the day before that Kathy had said she “loves strawberries,” so Kyle sat next to her and told her he wanted to share his strawberries with her. Kyle loves strawberries. Kathy said he got so wrapped up in what they were talking about, and so wrapped up in his own eating, that he gobbled up all his strawberries. He then realized there were none left to share with her. She said he was extraordinarily sweet as he said, “uh oh! I ate them all Miss Kathy!!!” Kathy said it was remarkable that 1) he remembered the detail that she loved strawberries – something she had just mentioned offhandedly at some point on the first day, and 2) that a three year old would be so conscientious of wanting to share something that he himself loves so much. Yup. That’s our boy.
- This morning (Saturday) when I told Owen that there is no school today he said, “But I want to go to school!” A successful first week all around. Here’s hoping for a good year.
