Today’s first was one of those milestone moments. My granddaughter, Aubrey, starts kindergarten next Monday. This evening was the kindergarten open house at her new school. I had the privilege of attending open house with her, along with her Papa Greg, and her mom. Baby brother Adrian arrived in his stroller. Part of my job was to keep him entertained while Aubrey and her mommy gathered information.
It doesn’t seem possible that Aubrey is old enough for school. And yet there she was, excitedly exploring her new classroom, meeting her teacher and moving from station to station, gathering papers. She is a very social child, always ready to make friends with other children. For the first time ever, I saw her be a bit shy when she was introduced to her teacher. She didn’t speak much until we left the classroom, but she flashed her teacher a gorgeous smile. I know by the second day of kindergarten that sense of reserve will be gone.
The classroom was bright, colorful, and arranged for the comfort of small students with low tables and tiny chairs. I was impressed that the teacher had placed information and fun games on tables set up around the room. It kept parents and children flowing. One table was covered with special scrapbook pages, one for each child. The instructions were to add pictures or words to the page, illustrating what the child enjoyed or liked. There was a sample page that the teacher had made, showing her favorite movie and several other favorites, to give the kids an idea of what to do. Aubrey was pleased to note that her new teacher liked the movie “Wizard of Oz” too.
After exploring her classroom, Aubrey wandered down to the library. We all let her lead the way. The library had a wealth of books lining the sturdy shelves. This bright little girl pulled several large books from the shelves, glanced through them and slid them back into place. She is already looking forward to checking out books. We also peeked into the art room and the gymnasium, which was in the process of getting a new floor.
What an adventure this sweet child is embarking on. It seems like only yesterday that her daddy, my son, was turning to wave to me from the kindergarten room door. I turned around a couple of times, surely, and now his child will be waving from the door next Monday. I look forward to watching Aubrey learn and grow, and continue to shine as her radiant self!
