Incoming!

Yesterday I volunteered to help out with the screening process for next fall's Kindergarteners. Here's how it works. I or another PTO volunteer greet the family and give the kid a name tag, then take a photo of the kid wearing said name tag. Then a teacher takes the parent(s) off for a brief interview, followed by a quick meeting with the nurse and the school secretary about city-wide requirements. Meanwhile the kid goes with a teacher to do stuff like stack blocks, stand on one foot, draw a person, and so on. It's not to see whether the kids are ready for Kindergarten—you just have to be 5 years old by September 1 and you're in—it's more to see which kids might need special services (speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc.) and to try to balance the classes so you don't have all the readers in one class or whatever. Then, if the kid is done before the parent(s), we play with them in the library for a little while, letting them color or look at books or play with building toys. When they leave they get a goodie bag (pencil, eraser, sharpener, play-doh, stickers) in a bag decorated by the fifth graders. It's not a terribly demanding gig, and I think it's fun.

I have almost more fun watching the parents than the kids. You see the whole gamut: Both parents with their only child. A mom with her oldest, with a toddler and an infant in tow. A mom with the youngest of her four kids. And so on. For the most part, the new parents are nervous and excited and overwhelmed, just as you'd expect—and just as I was when I brought Stephanie way back when. The experienced parents are predictably more jaded and less nervous. (I remember when I brought Julie, I was so blasé that I couldn't even find her birth certificate or remember when she said her first word!) I did  see one set of parents who were getting a little bit emotional about bringing their youngest one through those doors. I guess it's a mix of emotions for everyone.

Comments

[jude]

i can still feel that pang in my stomach as i read this. because you write so beautifully.

[Sharon]

I just brought my youngest for Kindergarten registration. I appreciate the nice parents who volunteer and make the kids feel welcome. Really, it's their first impression of elementary school. My son came out and said he can't wait until Kindergarten starts!