Aidan and I are venturing into unknown waters next Friday. He will have his first day of kindergarten at the same school his big brothers attend, and I will be off to teach my first class at the university. It is truly fitting that we are sharing our first big day, as he was born on my birthday - and has truly become my sidekick over the past five years.
On Thursday we went to visit with the kindergarten teacher, and I just wanted to highlight a few of the beautiful things she did to welcome Aidan (and me) into her classroom. Why do I want to do this? Because we (parents) often express what teachers are NOT doing right (me included). . . rarely do we shout their praises - and I think it's important that we have a model of excellence out there in the blog world.
One. Mrs. F. greeted Aidan and got down to his level (which he promptly copied and crouched down too).
Two. Mrs. F. said how excited she was to have Aidan in her class, and how she was busy preparing her classroom with things that would be developmentally appropriate for him. She showed us a few of the items and Aidan had an opportunity to engage with them.
Three. She had a gift for him wrapped in red tissue paper. Not that I believe teachers need to give gifts to their students, but the way she gave it was really nice. It was a gift for him to open and keep at the classroom. Something to share with the other students. BTW - Aidan played with the paper, shredding it and throwing it in the air. He couldn't have been happier.
Four. Mrs. F. asked me how I was feeling about Aidan starting school. She reassured me that he was going to be very loved, and that he already was loved by her. She shared a story of her own attachment to her daughter, now in her twenties, and of her own feelings of separation.
Five. She told me that if I ever saw something that she was missing in her teaching of Aidan to let her know.
