First Day of School

First grade. I can only very vaguely remember anything about my first grade days. I remember first learning to read and write, having nap time, and that’s about it. My 6 year old started first grade yesterday.

He’s been a bit anxious about the new grade. Many people talk of first grade as the first level of “real school”, but the kids started learning to read and write, add and subtract in kindergarten. First grade is just a continuation of and building on what the kids have already been learning. First grade is really not that different from kindergarten. They just won’t have nap time in class anymore. But still, my son is a little worried.

We’ve talked regularly about first grade over the past few weeks, and we’ve been to the classroom to meet the teacher together. Unfortunately, only one of his kindergarten classmates is in his first grade class. I don’t know who is more upset that his best friend from kindergarten wound up in a different first grade class: my son or my wife and I.

He woke up at 5:00 a.m. yesterday morning. He was thinking about first grade. We brought him into our bed and talked with him, with the lights out, till 6:00 when the 2 year old woke up. The morning went fine, and he got out of the car in the carpool line, and went in the school without a problem.

When he got off the bus in the afternoon, he was just bubbling with excitement. He wanted to tell us all about school. We listened as he just rambled on and on. It was all a good sign.

He had his last tee-ball game last night at 6:00 p.m. We left home early to pick up some dinner on the way, and he fell asleep in the van. He woke up and ate, then went out and played ball.

When we got home and he wanted to talk about school. We had concerns about all the new kids in his class. It’s interesting to hear this stuff. It’s easy to forget how scary the world can be to a young child. Things that we just ignore or shrug off can really stick in a kid’s mind and worry them. A classroom of 20-some new faces is daunting to a kid; stack on to that all the new lessons and learning from the teachers, and the first few days in a new grade can be overwhelming.

About an hour after we put him to bed last night, he got up and came into the den. He was worrying about school again. We talked with him and his mom held him for a few minutes. Eventually he fell to sleep.

We’ve talked with other parents, and our son’s anxiety is normal and common. But it still puts a lump in our throats when we hear and see how nervous thinking about the new experience makes him. We just remember how excited he was to tell us about his day when he came off the bus, and we know he’ll do just fine tomorrow. In a week, he’ll have made new friends in his class, and he’ll be asking if they can come over to play on the weekends.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com