What a great day! Michael was so excited about starting first grade, especially after we visited his classroom on Friday so he could meet the teacher and see his desk and everything. He also got to see which of his friends from kindergarten would be in his class. He is sitting next to Nancy, who he informed me is his “girlfriend.”
My husband had one extra day off work, so we all walked down together to drop him off. (We live two blocks from the school.) Of course, Bob had the camera with him to document the occasion, but I was still surprised to see how many parents were taking pictures or even videotaping!
Enjoying himself during Daddy's photo shoot
Michael’s teacher reported that he had a great day, with only one outburst in the afternoon that he calmed down from after a short break in the quiet area of the room, and one other minor meltdown at dismissal due to a misunderstanding about which exit he was supposed to use.
He talked nonstop all the way home about the games they played to learn each others’ names and how much he liked having lunch and recess. He doesn’t often share so freely, so it was wonderful for me to get so much information all at one time.
Ready to be done taking pictures
My biggest relief, though, is how much happier I am with the teacher he has this year. She seems kind and understanding about what to expect from Michael. This is so different from last year when I was told by the kindergarten teacher, “His problem is that he just doesn’t listen.”
So I am looking forward to much better things this year. Once we get past the first couple of weeks, they will be taking behavioral data so that we can form a positive behavior plan to go along with his IEP (I’m so glad I pushed so hard for that last spring and am looking forward to what the team comes up with.)
P.S. We had a wonderful time on vacation, although we are still recovering from all that driving – over 2300 miles in 7 days! And we were way too busy for me to even think about posting anything. Once I sort through the many, many pictures we took, I will share more about the trip.
