Oh the anticipation that has filled our home as we prepared for this new adventure – sending our first little one off to Pre-K!
As a veteran home educator of going on 19 years, I never expected this day to come. I wouldn’t have considered it an option if our oldest two hadn’t spent the last few years working at the Ss. Simon and Jude parish school in the after-care program. Their positive (glowing, really) reports about the school, the teachers, their mission and philosophy, including their Discipline with Purpose, all gradually wore this home-school mom down. And the more I considered the personality of my little guy with his boundless energy and curiosity, I could see the advantage of giving him a more stimulating-yet-structured environment than I can provide at home while also caring for two (soon to be 3) little ones, and homeschooling his big brother, a high school sophomore. Our conclusion was, after much discussion and prayer, that it can’t hurt to try, and if it doesn’t work, we can always bring him home.
So this morning, bright and early, Efrain was up and excited to get going! Before we left, I took a few quick pics to commemorate this new year, and almost got all the littles, though Xavier and Alyssa were disinclined to acquiesce to my request for a photo. Ellie made up for their absence by bringing the cute, and the ‘tude.
At the school it was a madhouse with hundreds of parents swarming through campus walking their kids to class. Efrain and I made our way, hand in hand, through the throngs to the little Pre-K corner classroom. If I had any concerns about his readiness for separation, they were abruptly put to rest. At his classroom door, I paused behind someone in front of me, and he nearly just charged right in.
“Hold up, Mr.!” I exclaimed, “I need a kiss!”
Obligingly, he turned his head slightly in my direction and allowed me to plant one on his side-forehead, before running into the room, tossing off a nonchalant “Bye, Mom!” And that was that.
No question about it, he’s clearly ready for this!
After school, he was so happy and excited about everything. He made at least one best friend, played a lot, made a craft to bring home to me with his hand print on it, and generally could not have been a more satisfied customer.
So, here we go! God bless Sister Raphael faculty and staff at Ss. Simon and Jude parish school, as they help us train up our little guy.
