So...after the great first day fiasco and the we must wait in the gym lecture of last week, I was hoping this week would be smoother. And it started off ok. Tuesday was relatively smooth except for the "reminder" note that our student would need a paint shirt for art class...when this is the first either of us have heard of it (and no, it wasn't in the handbook materials either...I checked).
And then there was yesterday...
...when I walked into the gym only to find it completely and totally EMPTY. No kid. NOBODY.
I wasn't late...there was still a line of children waiting for their bus on the front sidewalk. And yet, my child was nowhere to be found.
I looked a second time in the gym and there was NO-BODY.
I left the appointed place of the gym, as I think any rational person would do, walked into my son's kindergarten room, looked at the teacher and asked, rather curtly, "WHERE is Samuel?"
The teacher-of-the-many-rules looked startled, pointed at the gym, and ASKED ME (I kid you not), "You mean he's not in there?"
This woman had NO IDEA where my child was!
I believe I showed the appropriate amount of irritation and exasperation when I said, "NO...NOBODY is in there."
She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. And I was JUST about ready to run her over completely when another mom happened to overhear our exchange and said, "You know, there is a little boy sitting outside the office." I thanked the mom, didn't give the teacher a backward glance, and practically ran up the stairs to the office.
That teacher is SO LUCKY it was Sam sitting outside that office.
I think we're on track for a little "sit-down" together.
Soon.
And then, there was the envelope incident this morning with Samuel. Did you know that lunch money must be sent in an envelope with the child's name on it? Neither did I. Now I do.
I have always been a rules kind of girl. Give me a rule and I will follow it. But ya gotta actually GIVE ME the rule in order for me to follow it. And I guess I'm finding that I'm not so much about rules as I am about REASONABLE rules that SERVE A PURPOSE (other than driving first time kindergarten moms insane, of course).
Edited to add:
The school secretary tells me that "the last couple of kids are taken from the gym to wait outside the office." I'll be moving up my arrival time by five minutes to avoid this in the future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Mom
My mom insisted on living independently. She wanted to live in the two-story house she and my dad built in the 70s, despite the fact that da...
-
"Unfortunately, honey, the baby is no longer alive.". -Ultrasound doctor
-
When I was 18 years old, I wasn't paying attention while driving and I crashed my parents' van into a cruck (car with a truck bed) t...
-
Hi Everyone, this is Cathy's husband Stephen. I am proud to announce that Myles Fisher entered the world this afternoon at 3:51 PM He ...
10 comments:
Oh my! Do you know why he was sitting outside the office? Where was everyone else? Yes, something absolutely needs to be done. I've had two kids go thru kindergarten and this is not something that is typical at all. Of course, I'm sure you already know that. ((Hugs)) Let us know how the little "sit-down" goes.
I'm not really liking this kindergarten so much (and I'm sure you're not either). I wonder if the entire school is a problem or if it's just this particular teacher. In either case, this is not a good thing and should not be happening.
I was just thinking what Angel Mom wrote. Why was Samuel outside the office? And where were the other kids? This school sounds so weird!
A sit-down does sound necessary.
A certain word comes to mind here that starts with a "C"...
She sounds awful.
Hum, nice of them to *tell* you all of this...
Sheesh. Let us know how the sit-down goes!
No kidding on the sit-down. This is not a good beginning for sure. As a first-time K mom, I was also clueless to the multitude of rules this entails, but Monkey's school handled this all much better. Sorry you are having all these issues.
Pick up at my son's kindergarten is horribly unorganized. The teachers bring the class out to this little area and all of us parents have to wiat outside the gate. Everyday is a chaotic feeding frenzy with people pushing and shoving to get to their kid.. It makes no sense to me. There has to be a better way, you know?
Who knew that kindergarten was going to be this hard...on us parents?!!!!
I forgot to mention that there are five kindergartens with 20 kids each which is 100 kids being let loose in this little area with one small opening in the fence that divides kids from parents. It's chaos!
I don't know why I'm telling you all this.
Being a first time kindergarten mom IS confusing, and overwhelming, and all of those things. And your son's teacher should know that. All schools have their rules, but there needs to be an abundance of grace for those parents who are new to the school. It sounds like to me there needs to be a better school wide policy on how new parents are welcomed and oriented to the school. I hate to think of what happens to a parent who enrolls their child mid-stream, say at 3rd or 4th grade. Sheesh!
This really gets my goat because I am the current Chair of our school's Welcome Committee. Maybe, down the road, you could start a similar committee at your school? We do a lot of things to try and help new parents navigate all of the ins and outs of our particular school. I think our presence has also helped make the staff more aware of how they can help new parents and students.
Wow...I cringed reading this post!! I would definitely have a "sit down" with her....as in, "sit down you ___, here is a piece of my mind!"
Ugh! Here's hoping things get better. I can't imagine such a power struggle with a woman that you have to trust with your baby...even though he *is* big enough to be in kindergarten!
Post a Comment