Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Beginning of a Great Adventure

Anna starts pre-Kindergarten tomorrow. In Saint Paul, pre-K is done through the public school system. The school she's going to is a Montessori, which I'm sure I'll blog about at some future date.

We're all pretty excited about it. It's about three hours a day in the morning and she even gets to take the bus home. She's in class with two of her friends too, which I think is really going to help her ease into things.

A few weeks ago Anna said she'd probably be shy for the first few days, but that once she got to know the teacher then she would talk and not be shy. "Just like in Spanish class!" she said. (She took a Spanish class once a week over the summer.)

I feel like this is the first Great Unknown for her. I remember my stomach getting tied into knots over the these huge unknown moments when I was a kid (and teenager, and young adult, and adult), but Anna seems to be genuinely excited and ready for it.

But then again, when I think back on my first day of Kindergarten (my school didn't do preschool), I vividly remember my stomach NOT being tied up in knots. I remember being excited and ready for the Great Unknown. I don't know if I can pin down exactly what happened (though I'm sure I can come pretty damn close) that changed all of it for me and caused me to dread change; to fear meeting new people; to stay up late at night practicing potential conversations and replaying old ones.

At any rate, here's hoping the same thing doesn't happen to Anna. Or if it does, here's hoping she doesn't let it get to her like I did.

1 comment:

Jacqueline DuBois said...

That's sweet. Anna will do great! Ingorance is bliss. Kids don't sit and ponder all the what-ifs like we adults do, mainly because they haven't experienced that much crappy stuff yet so they have no reason to fear what they don't yet know exists.
... I imagine that's why at least. :)