Well, my kids are back in school. Maddy in 4th grade and Josie in 1st. I remember 1st grade being particularly difficult for Maddy. That was the grade she really learned to read, and the frustration and anxiety over it made her pretty much hate reading until 2nd grade, when it got much easier for her.
When Josie found out that one of the items on her school supply list was index cards I think she started to get nervous; I think she associated them with flash cards and sight words. We didn’t do much reading this summer – I just didn’t fight her to read – she played the entire summer at camp and had a wonderful free summer. But…I think she knew that the reading and work was coming! She kept telling me that she was “scared to start first grade”. We went school shopping, bought clothes, shoes, supplies, and talked about all the friends she was going to see. We did a bit of review of the stuff she learned in kindergarten also.
On the first day of school, in the car, I asked her if she was still scared. She said she was not scared. However, she did explain that she was “1 percent excited and 3 percent nervous!” So cute!
Maddy on the other hand played it very cool. In fact, on the first day (which was only 2 hours but the teacher in Josie’s class said they could leave any time after “checking in”) she was shocked to see me come back to get her so early and really didn’t want to leave – she requested to stay 1 hour. I asked if we could meet her social studies teacher and she said NO! I asked her to introduce me to her PE teacher and she did so reluctantly, but was very nice about it. Is this the beginning of the “I am embarrassed by my mother” phase? Please say it isn’t so!
So, school is underway. Ellie starts preschool next Monday. Ellie will be a kindergardener next Fall. My baby goes to school next year 
Wow it sure goes by fast. I feel so old.
