Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Pre-School


Well it's the girl's first day of pre-school today. She is going from 9-11, Wednesdays and Fridays... UNTIL MAY! I can't believe it. 9 months sure seems like a lot of a commitment from a 3 1/2 year old.

True to self, Leah had a hard time today. It was Hello Day, so parents were spending the full two hours in attendance with their child. Leah really struggled with being somewhere new, being somewhere that people expected her to participate, and being somewhere that I might not be. We calmed the tirade of tears after the first 15 minutes or so, but all morning she kept looking back to see if I was there. By the end of the 2 hours she was warming up to things a bit. Luckily there are two other girls (out of the six total) that are in our ward. I'm thinking that things will start to going more smoothly when I'm not around. Leah keptlooking to me for assurance, although I know she is more than capable of surviving on her own. She just needs to know it.

Leah's teacher, Teacher Joy, is a woman in our neighborhood that has been doing pre-school for well over 20 years. She is wonderful! I made sure she knew what she was getting into with Leah (of course it isn't her first time dealing with shyness) and she said, "After Hello Day, I'll just want you to drop her off and leave. Not just outside the door, but get in your car and drive home." This was music to my ears.

I am optimistic about this whole thing, although this morning I had some serious doubts as to whether I was putting her in too young. Really, I feel that the major reason that I'm having her go to pre-school for two years, rather than one, is for the social aspect. Leah doesn't have any siblings at home to just be a kid with. I'm hoping that this year will be Leah's expirimental year (just feeling pre-school out, making sure it's a safe place), next year she'll really understand why she's there, and hopefully that'll put her right on track for kindergarten. School will be old hat. I'm crossing my fingers, really tight for that.

Oh, I love this little girl.

6 comments:

Lisa said...

Leah is so grown up in those pictures! I can't believe she is starting pre-school already. I swear she is still 2 years old and little little little. Good luck with it all! I'm sure she will love it (after she gets used to it!) Ü

Marc and Miriam Deru said...

I love the back pack! It makes things more official, doesn't it? She's so cute. I hope next class without you goes alright! I'm sure she'll be just fine.

Snell Family said...

Kaleb LOVED having 2 years of preschool and I loved that he had the interaction with other kids. Leah looks so grown up with the backpack on. I'm sure after the first couple of days she'll get use to you not being there.

Unknown said...

Those are such cute pictures! I think she'll do great! And I think your reasons for putting her in preschool are right on. It really is such a personal decision.
While nine months does seem like a big commitment, I think the hours per week she's going are just right. The preschool where all the kids in our ward go to is from 9-1 Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which seemed like a lot to me. I hope you enjoy your time off!

Lindsay Quinney said...

I can't believe she is already big enough for preschool! Those pictures are so cute!

Nicole said...

Yeah Leah!!! I am so proud of her. I hope that she really does learn to love preschool.