Drama Days Of Kindergarten

Ryleigh started kindergarten August 11. We attended "Meet the Teacher" a few days earlier and found out Ry knew a girl in her class from our old ward. We were all excited that Ry would have an instant friend. We showed up for the first day of school both excited and nervous. Anyone who knows Ry knows she is very quiet and shy (in public only), and it takes awhile for her to warm up and get comfortable, so Chris and I were a bit nervous about the transition. We were able to go into the classroom for a little while until the kids got situated. Ry didn't want us to leave and became a little clingy. Luckily Chris was there and able to convince her that she would be okay. He is much better at that than I am - I have a very difficult time breaking away from the girls when they are upset. All things said and done, we left her to continue with her first day of kindergarten with both Ry and I tear-free.

Later on, I picked up Ryleigh from school and we went to Jamba Juice to enjoy some refreshing smoothies. Ry decided that this is now our "first day of school tradition." Later, after coming home, Ryleigh became very emotional and angry and said "I don't like school!!! It was too boring and my teacher makes us have two quiet times with our heads on our desks." She was very adamant about not going back; and so the drama begins...

The next day Ryleigh woke up very happy. Then the time came when I had to tell her it was time to get ready for school she went ballistic and said " I'm not going! I'm moving to China were they don't make you go to school. I am never going again." She then refused to get dressed, eat breakfast, etc. Then went to her room and sat in the corner until I convinced her to get in the car so Daddy could take her. That afternoon, she came home from school in the same mood as the day before. Later that night, Ry made a comment that her teacher "yells", so I talked to her to find out exactly what that meant. After a lengthy discussion, I was fairly certain that she wasn't just over exaggerating. She was very serious in explaining what was going on, and something fishy was definitely going on. Ry was in preschool for two years with two different teachers and never once complained about either of them. Needless to say, I was wondering what would cause a kindergarten teacher to yell at a classroom full of 5-year olds on the second day of school. Wednesday morning was even worse than the day before. This time I took Ry to school and had to have a teacher's aide help pry a tearful Ry off my leg. I wasn't even back to the driver side door before I was bawling. My only thought was, "How can I leave my baby, knowing she very well may be going to spend the day with a teacher who yells." What an emotionally draining week it had been, and it was only Wednesday morning. I had lunch that day with several moms who have kids in the the same school as Ry. As we began discussing amongst ourselves which teachers our children had gotten, several rolled their eyes or made negative comments when they heard whose class Ryleigh had been put in. At that point, I explained my concerns about what Ry had told me and a couple of them actually said that they had heard from their own kids that this particular teacher is a "screamer", and suggested that I have Ry moved to a different class right away.

After picking her up from school that day, I asked Ryleigh how she would feel about switching to a different classroom. Her immediate response was, "Oh, that would be great! Then maybe I would have a teacher that doesn't yell. Can you ask them to give me a nice teacher?" I told her I couldn't make any promises, but that I would at least talk to someone about a change of scenery. After dropping her off at home with Chris and Ellie, I went back to school and was able to speak with the principal about my concerns. We ultimately both came to the conclusion that in order to make sure that she has a positive kindergarten experience, it would be best if Ry was moved into a different classroom. Once we worked out the details, I thanked him for meeting with me and drove home feeling much better about the situation.

This past Monday, Ryleigh woke up and excitedly got ready for school knowing that it was her first day with a new teacher. She was a little clingy when I dropped her off at school, but nothing like how things had been the previous week. When I picked her up that afternoon, she was in great spirits and excitedly talked about how much she likes her new teacher.

Ryleigh's second week of school with a new teacher has been GREAT! She again has a friend (Camille) in her class who she attended preschool with and was in our old ward. Camille immediately took Ry under her wing and really helped her adjust to her new class. Ry is even riding the bus to and from school and, thanks to Lily, Paige & Gentry, Ry always has someone to sit with and walk her to the kindergarten playground. Ry's favorite subject in school is P.E. with Mr. Mitchell - yes, I said "Mister." Shockingly, she actually likes an adult man that's not Andrew or one of her grandpas. She says he is soooo funny. Way to go Mr. Mitchell for knowing how to work so well with shy little kindergarteners. You get an A+ in my book.

I feel blessed to live in an area with so many fellow church members. We have so many awesome friends with similar standards and morals who have great kids for our family to grow up with. We're very lucky to be part of such a great community.