Year One, Day One

Last week, Frankie started Year One at the Dearham School.

When the day started, she was excited, but a little nervous:

Then, she saw her new grown-up classroom:

And she was a little scared:

But, thankfully, by the end of the day she was all smiles, happy to be back:

This is the middle of her second week back, and things seem to be going pretty well. She's happy when we're leaving for school, and happy when I pick her back up again. The only time we're having any trouble is when I drop her off. Every time, she gets a little teary, and doesn't want to let go of my hand. It's hard to break away and leave her like that, but I know it's what I have to do. I'm pretty certain (based on the report of her teacher, Mr. Thompson) that Frankie bounces back to her usual happy self the moment I'm out of sight. Still, it's tough. Frankie really knows how to push my Guilt Buttons.

Frankie's only complaint about school so far is that she doesn't like her teacher. Not because he's mean, but beacuse he's a man. She keeps saying that she doesn't like having a "boy teacher," which is weird to me beacuse back in Colorado Frankie had a "boy teacher" that she loved: Mr. Brandon.

My guess is that her new teacher, Mr. Thompson, just isn't a huggy, soft, and lovey as her Reception teacher was. Mrs. Barton from Reception was the kind of teacher that you'd want to run over and hug every morning. Mr. Thompson is more about getting work done and doing things properly. (That's his catch phrase: "It's not as important to do things fast as it is to do them properly!")

As for me, I like Year One so far. Mr. Thompson is a bit better at organizing things and communicating with parents via schedules and letters than Frankie's Reception teacher was. (Although, truly I loved Mrs. Barton. She's one of the kindest and most patient teachers that I've ever met.)

I think the change in teaching styles is actually good for Frankie. And she's definitely starting to get into the swing of things. Just yesterday, she told me that she "love, love, loved" Mr. Thompson, and that he had used her homework as an example for the entire class. His praise is hard-earned, and it made her feel really good about herself.

So, it's a little bit of a change for Frankie, but by now she's getting pretty good at adapting. I hope the switch back to her Colorado school goes well. I know that right now she's complaining about her "boy teacher," but what do you want to bet that as soon as we get back to Colorado she'll be tearing up because she misses Mr. Thompson?