Kindergarten: Day One

Little Bear turned six in July. Yesterday was orientation to kindergarten, but today is the "official" first day of school. Beds have been made, breakfast has been eaten, teeth brushed, faces washed, hair combed, and uniform is on (with shirt tucked in). It's time to go....

Already, Little Bear says "I love school" and "School is cool". I hope he continues to feel that way for the next 9 years at this school, then for more of High School, and who knows how many of college. Yesterday he said "I want to be a doctor when I grow up". This is the first I've heard of that. Apparently, Gamma suggested it to him. As long as he can match his gifts/talents with his passions, I'm certain he'll be a success, and more importantly, he'll be happy.

At school, all the "kinders" lined up in front of the main entrance where their teachers were waiting for them. It was very crowded with proud parents and grandparents. When the bell rang at 8:10, the "kinders" were led into the school while all of the 1st and 2nd graders applauded their newest and youngest schoolmates. There were more teary-eyed parents than children. A proud moment for all, and yet another reminder of how quickly our children grown up.

After three years of preschool, Little Bear is accustomed to separation from his parents, so there was no sign of anxiety from him. Like many parents my age, I started kindergarten at age five. I was a little concerned about holding my son back an extra year before starting school, but his preschool teacher thought it would be a good idea as he wasn't quite ready to settle down at age five. I felt that it would be better to be younger, and challenged academically than to be older, and perhaps smarter. After giving it some thought, and consulting others, we determined that no one has ever complained about being too old in school. Since my birthday is at the end of April, I turned 18 about a month before graduation, while many of my classmates had turned 18 long before me. It turns out that they have a label for the act of holding your child back when their birthday is "on the cusp", July in my son's case. It's called "red-shirting". 60 Minutes did a segment on it earlier this year. Perhaps I'll write my thoughts about red-shirting at a later date.

In a nutshell, I feel that we are giving our son an advantage over the other kids in his class, but it seems this practice is more common for children attending private schools than it is for children in public schools. Little Bear is probably the tallest kid in his class, partly because he is six years old, but he's always been in the 90-95 percentile range for height and weight compared to children the same age. Being taller, older, more mature, and "smarter" gives him several advantages. My hope is that he'll be a leader instead of a follower, he'll be picked first for sports activities, and he'll be ahead of other kids academically. I haven't met many children that can read nearly any book you put in front of them. My son learned to read early on and he was an early communicator. We taught him some sign language before he was able to speak. I remember him signing "more" and "cookie" and "milk" long before he uttered his first words. Reading with your child at an early age is probably one of the most important and beneficial things you can do for him. He loves books and reads almost anything be can get his hands on.

The first day of Kindergarten is one is those benchmarks in a child's life that parents will not soon forget. Prepare your child, take lots of pictures, and document it for posterity. You'll be glad you did. I am.

Papa Bear
~dhub