The Boy feels obliged to be upset that he's returning to an academic setting. In fact, last night he said "You shouldn't be excited; you're supposed to hate school, right?" But I think he is glad to be going back. He has a teacher he knows, and his cousin is in the same class. And much to his pleasure, they won't be focusing so much on cursive writing this year. (He still refuses to read if it's in cursive.) And Aunt D (his mother's sister) will be teaching 5th grade just a couple of rooms down the hall. Right now he's focused on the little things. He doesn't want to wear any of his new clothes yet, not until it's cold enough to wear pants. That way his tee shirts will still be new with the jeans. He also wants to make sure he gets his pencil sharpener instead of it becoming communal property in art class.
The Girl, on the other hand is bursting at the seams ready to get back to school, and can't seem to focus at all on any one thing. She starts middle school this year. And apparently unlike her home behavior (and that of her antisocial parents) she's a social butterfly at school. She's in gifted English which will suit her well as she's a voracious reader and so will be working with one of my college classmates. I'm sure they can talk about books together (if we can get the Girl to stop reading the Twilight series over and over again). I think having an advocate in the school will be good for the Girl, as I'm less than certain about the middle school. It is the sole reason the district has failed to meet AYP (yearly goals). She'll be taking French this year and she wants to join the Band.
I walked the kids to the intersection at Main Street this morning so I could take the boy's breakfast plate back to the house (pancakes took a little longer than I intended to make). That's where their paths diverged. And I didn't want to walk them any farther. They'll be going to and from school unaccompanied this year. When I turned to go back to the house, it was difficult not to turn around and be a parent all the way to the door.
But they're growing up. Fourth grade and middle school. Jesus. It all happens so fast. I wonder if all parents feel this empty aching in their chests every first day of school, or if I'm just being overly dramatic since I don't get to spend as much time with them as I'd like. It was wonderful spending what time I did have with them this summer.
Anyway I wish them all the success in the world as they begin the new school year, and I wish the same to everyone going back to school be they students or educators. As my former principal used to say when I was first teaching: have a great day and learn a lot.
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