Wednesday, September 1, 2010

What Happens at Preschool

Apparently, a lot of what happens at preschool stays at preschool, but here's what we've picked up so far:

-Gym class on Wednesdays. They have to wear gym uniforms on these days.  A toddler putting on a gym uniform (i.e., a t-shirt) is like a doctor who wears scrubs all day coming home from work and saying, "Let me change into something more comfortable."

-Spanish on Tuesdays and Thursdays. No report of what the Spanish teacher's name is. When asked what words she learned, she said, "cuatro."

-They apparently ring a little bell to announce that it's clean up time. This has led to Georgia frequently ringing a small bell at home and telling us to start cleaning. Who are we to disobey?  But when we ask her to help, she says, "Well, I'm the teacher, soooo...no."  

-When we play school, I am instructed to sit on the floor right next to the teacher, who is played by Georgia, of course.  It's obvious that she clings to her teachers non-stop and has already developed a strong preference for one of them over the other. 

-She randomly says "in the name of the Father" here and there.  I think they say a prayer before snack time each day.

-The curriculum has a strong emphasis on bossiness and how to boss around your family.  At least that's what I'm assuming from the fact that she uses this toy pointing hand on a stick (a tool every child clearly needs) to march around the house barking, "Everybody do something!"  Alas, we are never certain what it is we are supposed to be doing.  
Georgia w/Pointing Finger

I'm sure you all are wondering what's happening on the cry-cry front.  It's getting better, slowly but surely.  She hasn't cried at pick-up since the first day.  She has cried at drop off every single day...until today!  Yay!  Drama queen still reported afterwards that she "cried the whole time," though.  That girl.  I swear.

UPDATE 9/2/10:  More tears at drop off today.  I think Georgia is understandably affected by how many other children are crying when she enters.  Joe's report today was that the hallway looked like a deportation zone, with lots of little Elian Gonzalez moments going on at once.  Not pretty.  Dear readers, who are you people who have children that never cry at preschool and apparently attend school where no other children are crying?  The "Happy Children Only" Center for Academic Excellence? What is this place we're sending her to anyway, a torture chamber? 

4 comments:

Susan said...

How many days a week does she go? Just curious. Sounds like it is getting better. Hilarious that she says she cried the whole time...I bet she doesn't cry much once you leave.

katandkarl said...

oh holy lord i love this post! She is too funny. Seriously having images of her bossing you all around to clean-up.

Nate did a program one day a week for most of fall and a summer session and he cried pretty much every time. But this fall he's actually been pretty smooth to drop off... I think just the familiarity of the place helped him a lot. They have the same routine every morning as well so that helps... we walk in the same door and walk in his classroom and wash his hands every morning and start in the same area of play every morning.

jessica said...

Besides the crying part this post is hilarious! I love the "in the name of the Father part." Pure comedy.

Maggie said...

Well, I'd cry to if a lady with a big finger pointing stick kept screaming at me to DO SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING. Geez, what kinda operation are they running there??

But seriously I don't know why some kids have a hard time and some like Anna just seem to wave it off like nothing doing.

I hope it doesn't mean that Georgia is attached and bonded and Anna is already tired of the drone of her mother's voice, planning her escape to bigger and better things... like the sand table.