Another kindergarten update.

I volunteered at Turner's school this morning. The kids sang their hello song while some kids were showing up late, others were doing lunch selections because they forgot on the way in, and others bouncing around on their bottoms, stretching out on the carpet, and a few kicking at each other. Then there was Turner and a hand full of other kids sitting criss cross with their hands in their lap as they've been instructed to do. After a few songs, the 42 (!) kids who were present today broke into smaller groups and each group had a station they went to. Each of the stations were explained well at the beginning of class and it became clear to me that the teachers have a great approach with the kids. But, there are so SO many kids and they are all over the place in levels of behavior and attention span. I went to the station where Turner went, upon his request. He was coloring the letter "T" that was huge. He was in a group with all girls, and I am thankful. Thorsten's group was all boys. They were decorating book boxes at a table next to ours. Two of the boys were pretty rowdy, knocking chairs over, climbing under the table, hitting Margot's chair and yelling. Poor Thorsten was quietly decorating his box when James laughed at his box. He just got up from the table and walked away. When Thorsten returned, I told him how cool his box was with all the fish on it. Turner barely got one corner of his T filled in. The girls out-paced him in coloring speed and Margot kept prompting him to color faster. He just responded to her, patiently, that he wanted to take his time and he was trying to be careful.

Two other families and I met with the principal after school today to discuss the increase in class size. (When we picked Borton we thought he would be in a K/1 split class with 25 students.) The straight K class, which is team-taught by two teachers and one aid, was to have 35 students. We found out today that they may have up to 52 students in ONE classroom with TWO teachers. Yes, I get that the ratio is still relatively low compared to most TUSD public schools (right now we are at 22 students per teacher). But, that many kids in one room is total chaos even when two teachers are doing their best to organize everyone in smaller groups. I imagine that much of Turner's attention during class time is on the forty+ other bodies around him on the carpet and not on what the teacher is saying.

So, the principal, who is new to Borton this year, expressed her concern with the team teaching model of the straight K room. She explained that the other classes, the K/1 split classes, do team teaching in a different way. The students-25 per room and teacher-switch classrooms during the day and the classes eat lunch together. Each classroom has a theme at Borton where there are interactive elements in the classroom that relates to theme. Tree room learns about plants. Shooting Stars learn about astronomy. Turner is a caterpillar. I jumped all the hoops I was suppose to jump so that Turner could be in the shooting star or Tree room, but somehow it didn't work out. Moving on, the principal said she would propose to the teachers a team teaching model that allowed straight K students to be in smaller cohorts, and join together some parts of the day like lunch. They would start and end the day in separate classrooms with one teacher, and they would go to special activities like PE, music, art as separate classes (which is already in their model, but just haven't started yet). I think this will work out much better for us, and give Turner a chance to learn the names of his classmates. Now, he is inundated because there are so many kids to remember. They all run together to him. Being there today meant I learned the names of the kids he liked and those he said were mean to him.

My problem with our meeting was that the teachers weren't there. I felt shady for talking about these problems without them there to explain WHY they like their method and HOW they think it benefits the kids. I'm sure they have these reasons b/c the principal said the teachers CHOSE this method of teaching even knowing they might get this many students. I just want to stress again, it is total chaos in Turner's class. I don't know why in the world they would prefer to spend their time putting out fires than actually conducting class, but I'm not a Kindergarten teacher and I have no authority to know anything about such. I just do NOT want the teachers to feel targeted. But, leaving that meeting, I felt like the principal might be one of those ladies who can't deal with confrontation. She asked us to create a formal report and to "rally" other parents behind us as though we are going into battle. It made me nervous. Why wasn't she inviting the teachers into this conversation? All five of us at that table were educators, and it was an interesting conversation about pedagogy and purpose. But, I have no idea where we will end up. If 52 kids are in Turner's class--which the principal said was "possible"--then I canNOT imagine letting him stay. He absolutely will not compete for attention, and he would have to do so. Today, for example, he didn't raise his hand to answer a single question. When I asked him why, he said "Why? I never get called on." And, in the first two weeks of school, he hasn't been yet.

Kindergarten update.

This doesn't really count as a blog since I wrote it for a different purpose originally (a response to Thorsten's mom who emailed me with her Kinder woes). I've tried to clean it up a bit so it will make sense without having read her email.

Kindergarten is tough business, but we are in the business of being tough. Are all new Kinder moms this jaded? Probably not. Probably it is just Erika and I, but that is because we both are the kind of mom who enjoys getting lost all day with our little men in imaginative play and not-planned-out-very-well adventures. I thought Kindergarten would big this huge adventure where he came home everyday, like he did with the summer bridge program, excited about all that he that he did. Each day was a new lesson, a new activity, a new friend. Now, however, he comes home exhausted and having learned mostly new rules and ways of behaving (and policing behavior). I can hear you now LaLa, I know all kids aren't as well behaved and that a huge part of Kindergarten is getting kids accustomed to rules and how to follow them. But, what about all those kids sitting there bored out of their mind because they know how to behave already? Well, those kids (Turner) start acting up because they don't want to learn more about rules. They are ready to start learning other things. I don't know. I admitted already I'm jaded. That said, I'm going to volunteer in his class tomorrow, and hopefully that will help me feel more comfortable and knowledgeable about what is going on.

We are packing Turner's lunch everyday (his Hot Rods lunch pail of course). I cut him out a creation each day and write him a message on it. Today it was a star with the S-T-A-R written on it. The best one so far was a flying dinosaur. He wanted me to send that one two days in a row. So, we stuff the lunch box with some interesting creations: edamame, peanut butter on wheat thins, hard boiled eggs, apples, cheese, macaroni and cheese, broccoli, sandwiches. . . just about anything to get all the food groups in. Last week he only got a dessert three days because he was bringing everything home uneaten but the cookies. This week has been a lot better. More often than not, he eats most of his lunch on the way home from school. Two days ago we made mac and cheese, and he complained when I picked him up because I forgot the fork. His teacher opened the container for him, but no one got him a fork. Ugh. Today I wrapped up a turkey and cheese sandwich but he couldn't get the plastic wrap off of it at lunch, so he ate it on the way home from school. It's a learning experience for us both. I think he sits with Margot everyday at lunch. He's mentioned sitting with Thorsten a few times. One thing is for sure, he can't remember anyone else's name. He says he has friends and that he plays with them on the playground (and Thorsten usually), but he can't recall their names.

He's had a few "friend" mishaps though. Emmi hit him one day. She has some kind(s) of developmental issues and has a full-time aid with her while she is in the classroom. But when Emmi hit him, Turner was cool about it and made sure to give her a hug at the end of school (without any prompting). We were walking down the hallway. He said, "Emmi hit me today."
I said, "Oh really. Why? What happened?" (I didn't know Emmi).
Then he walks to this girl who is very large for her age and taller than T. He gives her a hug and then says, "I'm still your friend, okay. Then he grabs my hand and we walk on."
He said to me, "That was Emmi."
I said, "Oh. So why did you hug her?"
He said "Her grandpa said she just gets excited and is trying to hug too hard. So I didn't want her to feel bad for hurting me because it was an accident." Not sure how Turner met her grandfather, but whatever. I was glad to see his thoughtfulness and sensitivity flag flying way high that day.

Another day he came home and the neck of his shirt was all stretched out. He looked like he was bringing back the 80s. He said two of his guy friends were pulling on his shirt while they were sitting inside. Another day he said two boys pushed him on the playground. Today he was kicked (by accident) in the face by another boy on the monkey bars. Turner said the boy walked him to the nurse's office, which I thought was nice.

I just feel so left out of kindergarten, like I don't know anyone and don't have any idea what is really happening at school. He says he isn't learning anything and that he is bored, but he knows new songs so he must be learning something. I was glad to hear this morning about open house next week. Perhaps that will relieve some of my anxiety.

It seems like Turner doesn't really get good reports from school. I mean not that I get a report, or even always get to talk to a teacher when I pick him up or drop him off. (I am missing the Catalina attention-to-parents big time.) But, he told me a couple of days he had to put his head down, and two days ago he got his first day of being in the "role model" box all day. I suppose the other days he wasn't good enough to get into the box. It feels like they are learning so many rules, and perhaps that is because there is such a range in how the kids behave. I don't like the whole strict rhetoric of "bad" and "good" that Turner is coming home with though. Yesterday he told me he didn't make it into the role model box, but that it didn't matter to him because he thought he was being a good boy all day. He was sad. I had no idea what to say. I wanted to whisk him up in my arms and promise he doesn't have to listen to people tell him he's "bad" just because he didn't go above and beyond every moment of the day. I was feeling dramatic. Instead, I just hugged him and said I thought he was so special and that everyone is getting adjusted to school right now and that not everyone can make it into the superstar box all the time. Keep your nose clean, basically, was my advice. Stay outta the way until all the hellions learn some manners and then your light will shine bright enough for the teacher to see it.

I think I'll volunteer on Friday. That might make me feel better and help familiarize me with his classmates. I think he likes school, but he did ask to take this week off. I'm always encouraged when I see Margot and Thorsten there, and Hansana in the hallways. I know at least Turner has a few comrades.

Theme of the day in K'Nex.

We are later than we wanted to be getting to Turner's school, but it worked out fine. There were tons of other equally nervous parents learning the ropes. And most of the kids were in the courtyard jumping rope and dancing to music. Tomorrow, we hope to catch more of the dancing time. Today, however, we had tasks to complete. Turner created his name card and chose a cubby to put his backpack in. He learned how to select his lunch: express bag, tray lunch, PB&J, salad, or lunchbox from home (a lot of food options, that's a good thing). Turner put his name under lunchbox (a Hot Rods lunchbox filled with a PB&J, apple boats, animal crackers, granola bar, and juice box). Turner went into the classroom and did not find his name tag. He came back out into the hallway upset he couldn't find his name. I go to help and sure enough they had his name as "Klapkek." We corrected this mistake with all the teachers and on the fifteen places they had put his name (that's an exaggeration). A teacher was reading a book to the class while some of the parents lagged around the room. It was a book we read with Turner two weeks ago. After the book, the teacher asked the kids to raise their left hand, put it to their mouth, and blow kisses off to their folks. Turner gladly kissed us good-bye and parents were dismissed from the Caterpillar Room with Ms. Stephanie.

At 2:40 Andy and I joined the crowd of parents taking up wall space outside the classroom. Andy inspected the lunch box (one bite out of the sandwich gone, the juice box empty, and some animal crackers eaten.) When Turner came out the first thing he said was, "I didn't really learn anything today." We gathered his book bag and stack of papers and headed to the car, where he ate his sandwich, half his apple and almost all his animal crackers. I asked who he ate lunch with and he said Margot. She had yogurt, pineapples, and some other things that I can't remember now. They didn't talk much during lunch, only when Turner asked Margot a question. At dinner, Turner recited this summary of his day:

"I didn't really learn anything, but I played with K'Nex. And I wrote my favorite thing that I did today, which was K'Nex. I read in circle time, and I had lunch with Margot. And I loved my teachers very much, but they didn't tell you that I got in trouble only once. It wasn't very much. It wasn't a bad thing I got in trouble for but I forgot what kind of trouble it was so I cannot tell you. And I really did get to make some observations on K'Nex, and I made a sea monster out of K'Nex. The end."

Later, he told us about the school tour his class took today. "And there's a nurse there that takes care of you but she doesn't give any shots. Well, she does give shots but at some other place."
Andy asked, "Does that mean she has another job some other place?"
"Yeah. I think it's a doctor."

*Forgot to add this to the original post. A perk of public school="Entertaining" adult apparel. One of the parents dropping his kid off this morning was wearing a T-Shirt that read: "It's not a beer belly. It's a gas tank for a sex machine." Seriously?!?

Second to the last day of summer.

Soccer. Family Astrology Night. The Raptor Show. It was a great, big day.

Soccer Game at 9 AM. This was a make up game cancelled for rain. Today, the grass was way too tall, and the other team had only three players (one of which was confusing football with soccer; his dad chased him around the field for a quarter preventing him from tackling our players).

Turner totally stuck with it.

One goal.

Two goals.

We rush home and shower. Turner cleans soccer off himself, and we chat about the Desert Museum and the kinds of snacks we'll need. I tell him I've had fun playing with him all summer. He gets out of the shower.

"I just can't believe this is the second to last day before summer is over, and then you'll be in school."

"Yeah. I know. But, you know mom that I can come home from school and we can still have time to play. I mean after I get my homework done or play my game a bit maybe."

"We'll still have plenty of time to play after school."

He gives me a hug, "I've had a lot of fun with you too mom."

For a few weeks Turner and I have taken turns reassuring one another that Kindergarten is going to be the most amazing fun thing ever. Dropping him off the first day, I anticipate that will be difficult. But for now, the second to last day before summer vacates, I'm keeping the tears inside.

The Desert Museum has special summer programs on Saturday nights. They stay open until 10, and the night's activities reflect themes. Tonight was family astronomy night. Turner and I got to the museum about 5:30 pm. We had our picnic in the car, sang a couple of songs to sharpen our senses and then rushed out into the 104 degree night. More than once I heard others, and thought it myself, what a nice night it turned out to be. The breeze was strong, like it was going to rain; it was so SO hot today that a 100 degree breeze was welcomed company tonight.

As we walked through the parking lot, Turner asked about ice cream. So, from the beginning, we were on a quest. But first, we went to the "Sky Hunters" demonstration where we watched an owl eat a live mouse and we ducked to miss a flying raven. A parrot flew around the room too, and its feathers sounded heavy and rackety where as the feathers of an owl (not sure at all what its species), a white owl that looked like a huge cotton ball, it had feathers that absorbed sound. It is a night predator. The demonstration was 45 minutes long and Turner and I thought it rocked. All of the people involved in the demonstration tonight were volunteers. Amazing.

Owl

Noisy Feathered Parrot

After "Sky Hunters," Turner and I resumed our quest for ice cream.

Detour at the tortoise, who was out snacking. Only the second time we've seen him in all our trips to the museum. We watched him for a long time with great enjoyment. Detour at the sea otter and beaver homesteads. Had to check in the den and found only beavers. The sea otters were too busy playing. Then, ice cream.

Because it was astronomy night, there were docents set up along the path with huge telescopes. On our way to the cave, we saw craters on the moon, and you could distinguish mountains. It was awesome. After the cave and the sand dig - too dark for that so we passed on by - we stopped at another telescope. This guy, had a light/laser/pointer thing that shined light all the way up into the stars. A docent at our very first telescope had shown us this light. But it was still dusk so we could not see how far the light went. At the second station, though, we could see sparkles where the light bounced off of dust.

At third third telescope the docent was so knowledgeable and entertaining that he had a following. Turner and I waited for him to get set up. The docent, of course, explained each step to Turner. 8:00 pm. We looked first at the moon. We saw more craters and mountains and a sea. Then the docent moved the telescope so we could see saturn. It looked just like the pictures. The docent pointed out to us the moons (there are 53 total) that surround Saturn. Turner and I counted two tonight. While we all waited in a line to look through the telescope, the docent pointed out constellations. He told stories about Greek mythology and showed us how the moon was in virgo tonight, and we saw Sagittarius and Scorpio shooting into the heart of Pisces? (can't remember but another astrological sign). The whole night made me want to read.

What. An. Amazing. Summer.