The First Day Of Kindergarten

Kindergarten Round-Up has begun.  A week-long event, with visitors spending one full day in kindergarten, our Round-Up is unique.  It's also a first for me.

Around this time of year, I try to remind myself that the fall will bring a new group of (somewhat) novice learners.  The easy transitions and smooth routines that are enjoyed today will need to be earned once again.  My little visitors have given me a head start on the reality check that is --drumroll-- The First Day Of Kindergarten.

• New kindergartners are tiny!  Next to a group of six-year-olds, these barely-fives and still-fours seem so little!
• They miss mommy.  And their lower lips might tremble every now and then.
• The room/decor/stuff/ is a fascinating distraction from the work at hand.
• Review, review, review the basics:  the toilet is there, the door opens here.
• When in doubt, sing!  There is little room for misbehavior when hands are clapping and mouths are in unison.
• The first days are exhausting, for them and for me.  Like me, maybe they didn't get much sleep the night before!?  (Last night, I topped out at three hours.  Yikes!)
• A spontaneous hug from a new kindergartner is joy abundant.  As Charles Dickens said, "It is no small thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us."