Since my last post about the support group for mothers who lost children, I have struggled with this post. My daughter's first day of Kindergarten was Monday, August 31. The first day of school is significant, a day that I am fortunate to experience. I even remember my first day of Kindergarten 36 years ago, and I remember waiting nervously on the front porch as my mother took my photo. I recall the brown Charlie Brown striped shirt I wore; I remember that I was nervous. Now that I am a parent, I imagine that my mother was both afraid and hopeful, just as I am now.
So, I wonder what photo will define my daughter's first day at Melrose Leadership Academy? Or, will she remember an entire gallery? And will her first year of school be better than mine?
My Kindergarten teacher was "old school." She probably started teaching before WWII when public school teachers were trained to pull little kids hair. I was unprepared. At least, Ms. O'Day prepared me for every other teacher (or classmate). Nobody was as tough as my Kindergarten teacher. Even the bullies I faced later in school were no match for Ms. O'Day. She still scares me.
My wife and I might be scaring our daughter. We have enrolled her in a Spanish Immersion program where her teachers will speak Spanish 90% of the time. The school is new and public, and every parent seemed hopeful, despite the underlying fear. As parents, we continue teaching our children how to become better people. We continue taking our children to Kindergarten hoping that our children's lives will be better than our own. We hope our children will be safe; we hope our children will become successful. We constantly balance between hope and fear.
First Day of Kindergarten - Images by bryan farley
great man :D
Posted by: bedroom furniture | July 28, 2013 at 07:36 PM