Kindergarten

Excerpts from my letters to Cache about Tessa and Kindergarten:

Tessa had her kindergarten testing this week.  It was done by Mrs. Crockett, a new teacher at the school, who Tessa fell in LOVE with.  After we got home, she would not stop talking about her.  Two days later when K class lists were posted, we found out she had Mrs. Walker.  She came home and flung herself on the bed and sobbed.  Unbeknownst to her, I had already made a phone call to Mrs. Crandall, the principal (while at the school & Tess was talking to Christine) because I had requested to not have Mrs. Walker.  So 15 minutes later when Mrs. Crandall called me back saying Tessa was moved to Mrs. Crockett's class, Tess was ecstatic, and has been bouncing off the walls ever since.  The only caveat is that it is the 12:40-3:30 time slot, which doesn't work well with our family schedule.  But I accepted it because Mrs. Walker and Tessa likely would not get along at all.

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While at the Children's Museum on Monday I got a message from Peggy Crandall saying she could move Tessa to the 9:15 time slot, but her teacher would be Mrs. Reid.  I didn't know Mrs. Reid, but I had heard really great things about her so I called back and made the switch.  All around, it was the best decision for Tessa--she does much better in the morning and it works so better for our family schedule. But Tess wasn't very excited about changing out of Mrs. Crockett's.  Down right mad might be better terms for it.  We talked and talked and came up with what seemed like a million reasons she should be happy about the move. By night time, I finally found one she liked.  Suddenly she was mostly okay to have Mrs. Reid.  So on the 1st day when we were writing a card to put on Mrs. Reid's gift, she wanted to write the only thing she liked about Mrs. Reid:  "Dear Mrs. Reid, I like you because your class is by the playground.  Love Tessa" Unbeknownst to her, I wrote something a little more appropriate, but later, Dad, not being informed on the matter, read the card out loud to her:  "Dear Mrs. Reid, I'm excited to be in your class.  I think you'll be a fun teacher.  Love Tessa."  The aftermath was not pretty, but somehow she managed to get to school and be okay with Mrs. Reid. A few days into it, I think she is coming around to like Mrs. Reid okay.  They do get to earn pebbles in a jar to have Fun Fridays, after all.  (Oh the drama!!) Don't let the smiles fool you. She was excited about kindergarten, but MAD about Mrs. Reid.

Yes, the back pack is hilarious, but don't worry,  it is just full of tissues and paper towels for the classroom supply.

Greta was SO sad after Tess went into school.  She wouldn't cry, but you could tell she wanted to let the flood gates open and sob.  She was so so sad.  So instead of going home and making a treat to serve at my teacher meeting that night, we went to Deseret Book and read books and ate ice cream.  She really needed that.  (I just served rootbeer floats for my treat that night instead of homemade peach pie.)  Since then, Greta has done really well.  She is so easy to have around ---she helps me with what I'm doing or colors or eats up the preschool that we do. 

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Kindergarten follow up:  I've asked Tess on and off if she loves Mrs. Reid and kindergarten.  She says she does, but she hasn't been very convincing.  In a few conversations, things like "Mrs. Crockett's class gets to paint and we don't so, I still want Mrs. Crockett," have come up.  Another time she said that she wants Mrs. Crockett because her class gets to stay at school all day.  (A little 5 year old misconception.)  While fairly content with Mrs. Reid, she still has been harboring resentment that she can't be in Mrs. Crockett's.  One day while rehashing it once again, I said to her, "Tessa, there are a lot of good teachers in every grade, but you can only have one each year.  You've got to be happy with what you've got and have fun anyway."  It took some talking along those lines before she seemed a bit more accepting of the situation.  She has started making pictures for Mrs. Reid and we've had a little less talk about Mrs. Crockett. But I think it has more to do with the fact that she finally got to be the line leader than anything else!  It is so hard to switch gears in that little mind!