First Week of Kindergarten

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Trey had a wonderful first week of school. He is excited to be there everyday, which is truly like a gift from the gods and goddesses of the universe. Looking back on our crazy summer, we are welcoming the return of routine and cooler weather.

Each Monday, Trey will be sent home with a short math homework sheet, to be completed anytime during that week. Each Friday, he'll be sent home four books to read before the end of the following week. This is very exciting. Trey is a voracious reader these days. I mean, we always read at night at bedtime, but ever since he got into the library's summer reading "contest," he now comes home and sits down to read a couple picture books front to back, all by himself. His library card is a prized possession. We currently have about 25 books checked out. We think he's going to be a lifelong lover of books. That makes us very happy.

Public School

After a couple grueling months of trying to keep Trey's school alive and functioning for another school year, the Board decided it needed to close the doors. It was very disappointing, because he had done so well at Seven Canyons. Nervous about how he would react to the news, we scrambled to find a school for Trey. . .one we could all be excited about. Late to the process, many of our first choices were full. He was put on several waiting lists, but alas, we could not wait.

Trey is now a Crestview Elementary Cougar. It was a relief to get him registered somewhere. . .anywhere, to be honest. Actually, we are pretty excited about this particular school. We meet with his teacher, Mrs. Hoshimoto, on Wednesday so she can do an evaluation of Trey's development. When we told him his teacher might know Japanese, he decided he wants to learn Japanese and picked out a Japanese Dictionary for Kids at the bookstore yesterday. (I really hope Mrs. Hoshimoto knows at least a little, because speaking a foreign language is a fail-safe way to get the boy's attention.)

It was really interesting to reflect on my own preconceived notions and biases about public school. I had become a private school fascist, it seemed. I grew up in public school. I come from a long line of public school teachers whom I am very proud of for what they contributed (and still contribute) to their communities. Hell, I'm opposed to private school vouchers! So why was I so scared of putting Trey is public school? I suppose because I assume(d) he'll be forced to fit in a box filled with predetermined characteristics deemed "normal" and "healthy." I was (and still am) afraid he'll be assigned some disorder, because he doesn't fit the status quo. Here's to hoping Mrs. Hoshimoto appreciates the full spectrum of personalities, abilities, learning styles, and conflict resolution styles a Kindergarten room full of kids will contain.