My heart...

It has been a very busy week in our household. As most of you already know... I am returning back to the classroom on September 2nd. I have been running back and forth this week trying to get my room conducive to learning and ready for my students. While I was out on parental leave, I chose to store ALL of my teacher stuff here at home. I finally made my way back with it all. (Byron was so happy to see it go. What is it with men and their garages?) Nevertheless, my room is in order, looks great, as well as, walls/bulletin boards student friendly! Ahhh, it feels so good! And next week begins teacher training's, workshops, professional development hours, presentations, etc... Life is good!

In the same sense, we have officially sent our firstborn off to Kindergarten this week. I am so grateful that I was able to send her off and get her school year off to a great start. She loves school. She likes her teacher. The day before the first day of Kindergarten, her teacher opened her classroom doors for what they call MEET THE TEACHER. Tiegan came home eager to go back to Kinder. Little did she know that the next day, I was not going to go through the classroom doors with her. She figured it out really quickly though. It was a hard thing to do but if Tiegan was going to bond with her teacher she needed to do it sooner rather than later. (I know that... My head tells me one thing, but my heart feels another. It is so different when the student is your own child! Honestly, it was VERY HARD for me.) She didn't cry. She just put her head down and walked into class. She never really expressed to me any nervousness or anxiety. (I was a little bit sad.) Then after the second official day of Kinder, she quietly scooted up close to me and said...

Tiegan: "Mom, I didn't know you were going to be waiting right outside for me when school was over."
Mommy: "Of course, I wanted to hear how your day went with your new friends and teacher."
Tiegan: (wiping her eyes) "You're so nice, Mom. I love you!"
Mommy: (Relieved... THERE... she got it out.) "I love you to the moon and back."

She seemed okay, until she started talking about it and then her eyes welled up with tears. That's my girl. (She is so like her Mommy... I think I am okay too until I talk about it out loud. Then I am so consumed.) But we both feel better now. This growing up business is tough sometimes.

(Continue on to the next two blogs for more on her first week in Kindergarten.)