First Day of School

     Today was a great day!  Everyone showed up eager to learn.  Singing and playing games is their favorite activities.  As adults we forget that these little ones haven't learned some of the basic concepts like raising their hand to speak or how to line up.  I have never thought of the pledge to the flag as a long speech, but when your the only one that knows it and your saying it by yourself hoping they catch on eventually, it feels like a lot of words to memorize.  Because of their young hands and coordination, moving their chairs, or just getting in and out of their desk can sometimes seem awkward for them.  But it is the beauty of youth and new beginnings.  I feel privileged to be a part of these childrens' lives and be the person that gets to expose them to these new skills.  Will they remember their first teacher was their grandmother, Mrs Perry?  Today John called me Mrs. Perry.  It about broke my heart.  I love when they call me Maw Maw.  But I often refer to myself in the third person as Mrs. Perry, so it is my own fault.  Many years ago in my 20s and early 30s I worked at a children's home in Dallas.  Shanon was 3 and John was crawling.  We were responsible for 12 boys kindergarten through 6th grade.  Shanon and John both called us Mr. and Mrs Kindler and there wasn't much we could do about it because they heard it all day long from the 12 boys.  It didn't take them long to adjust once we went on to other avenues in our lives. 

      So in summary, today we read books about chickens starting school, sang songs about Indians and the bible and said funny poems about peanuts and yellow cats.  We practiced cutting with scissors, learned the name of capitol I and little i and the sound it makes.  We talked about colors, specifically red and yellow and we are learning to hold our pencils and crayons properly.  We know now how to ask permission to go to the restroom and we are still working on raising our hands without talking at the same time.  Its all a learning process, but I plan on making it as fun as possible for them as I can.  At the end of the day while riding in the car, Cash said, " Maw Maw, thank you for teaching me all this stuff."  If he only knew that it is me that should be thanking him; thanking him for the joy received from being a part of their young little lives.