Well, Kindergarten is off to a pretty good start. Here is a recap on the last three weeks:
1. Homework. She gets a sheet Monday through Thursday. It looks like this:
It is pretty much coloring. Yuki loves coloring. UNTIL IT BECAME HOMEWORK. She was not clear on the concept that it had to get done, and before she played. She put up a fight for the first week and a half. I mean, fits of anger and tears. I told her to get a grip and face the harsh reality of life--well, not in those words, but pretty much that. After we made it clear that it was not going away and reminded her that it is something she actually enjoys doing, she got over it. Then she decided she was going to get that done at her after school program. Then I learned in curriculum night that the teacher is required to give homework but he told us all he cares about at this point is that they put their names on the paper and bring it back the next day. "It should not be a problem at home. Do as much as they can." Too late, Mister. I already Japanesed my daughter there.
2. Friends. The kindergarten held a standing playgroup all summer, which was really smart and nice of them so by the time school started, Yuki had friends. These are some of them:
Three Tall Women
Yuki will be riding the bus soon (!!) but right now, I am taking her. I drive for 5 short, glorious minutes (as opposed to the who-knows-how-long-this-will-take commute from pre-school) and park the car at the bottom of the hill and we walk up. It's like the opening of a musical movie as other kids and parents merge from every direction towards school and Yuki knows many of them and they all want to hold hands. There was once a spontaneous "Ring Around the Rosie" on the sidewalk and I almost threw up from too much cuteness.
3. Nurse's office. Yuki had three accidents in one week last week. She has never had such accidents at school so I was surprised to hear about it. But then I realized most places had some organized bathroom time so she was having a hard time figuring out when to go. She definitely has that at home. So after the third time I told her she was not going to miss much by going to the bathroom, which seemed to click. For now. Everyone was very nice about it and she didn't seem traumatized so that was that.
4. Hiyoko Juku. Thursday afternoon Japanese class seems to be going well. I get her from school that day (as opposed to Yuki going to after school program where Philip goes to get her),
Then I drop her off at the class.
She gets about 4 to 5 pages of simple homework from there and we knock that out over the weekend.
5. Dog. Oh yes, as if we didn't have enough new things, we got a dog. His name is Roman. We got him from a shelter. He is a Plott Hound mix and is between one and two and is sweet and quiet and well behaved. He came with that name and while we talked about changing it, Yuki liked it so we're keeping it. I made him stay in our room for the first few nights only because we didn't know what he was like, but he sleeps really well so, much to Yuki's delight, he is now sleeping in her room. I think that is going to do wonders for her neediness at bed time.
Oh hello. I am the new protector
Yuki is taking everything in stride, but I have to say, the first couple of weeks were rough at home. She was so tired and was holding it together at school that she became a total beast at home. That is now tapering off. During the second week, moms would circle outside of the school after drop off and debrief about the previous night and how homework was going, which was hilarious and comforting. We all looked pretty tired as well. Yuki's teacher, Mr. Hansen, a seasoned veteran in his 60s (and also totally OF the '60s) told us that Kindergarten now is not the same. It's more like 1st grade. The curriculum is pretty grueling and there is never enough time in a day to get it all done. "But," he said, "you will not believe how much they will learn in a year. Every single kid will be reading and their handwriting will improve. You won't recognize them."
I don't recognize her now
For that, I am excited.
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