a rugs life

• Every morning, the principal in my daughter’s school rings the bell in the school yard to signal the beginning of the day. Its an old fashioned ring-a-ling type that you’d see in a Norman Rockwell painting. I really like that he’s there every morning, visible, smiling and ready to help.
• The teachers are always friendly and up-beat.
• Although the goodbyes are hard for my daughter, the afternoon re-unions are quite good. Most mornings there are tears and there is clinging, but when I greet her in the afternoon, she is acclimated, comfortable, self-confident. She likes showing me around the building, and I pretend I would be lost without her guidance.
• She is learning a new letter each day. Each letter comes with its own song and she enjoys singing them all.
• Yes, there is homework, but it takes all of 3 minutes to do. And its not a such bad habit to get into.
• Thursday is ‘Back to School Night’. The parents meet the principal, sign the parent-teacher compact, visit the classroom and get to sit in kid-sized chairs.

Yours from the front lines, taking it one day at a time,

- a kindergarten mother