Last year I was hired the same week school began so I missed out on all the pre student arrival meetings and helping get classrooms ready. This year I got to head back to school on Monday & Tuesday morning while Hubby worked from home to be there for our kids (and my Mom came over on Monday to make sure he could actually get work done). It was neat to see that side of things and be back with coworkers I loved from last year and meet the new coworkers that will also be paras in the special education department. On Tuesday we got to enjoy back to school night at the elementary school and my whole heart smiled at the neighborhood girls all being together and letting me take their picture. I was glad I got this gem because the next morning was full of first day excitement -- only enough time to grab a few rushed ones at the front door and standing in line to go into Natalie's new classroom. It was so great to be there with her and see how excited she was for 4th grade.
Meanwhile, Kate's first day of high school (freshman only/orientation) was also on Wednesday but here is her photo. lol. She was on time, though, and that's what matters. I was so proud of her being ready over half an hour earlier than she had to be with school last year. Freshman year is a go! And oh, how wonderful it was to see her come home from her first day of high school happy and sharing all sorts of stories from her day. Seriously, I don't know if I have ever seen her this happy after a first day of school. I could be wrong but I even looked through her old scrapbooks and yes, this might be the best first day since fourth or fifth grade. I assume being there for volleyball every weekday for a couple weeks really helped with the transition or maybe it's just that she has been looking forward to high school for a long time.
Since I am working part time this year (my calendar says thank goodness!) there are some days I get to stay home and some I don't. I really wanted my first day to be the same days as the students I worked with last year so Danny, Michelle, and I headed off for our first full day of middle school together on Thursday. We had very different reactions to our first day at the middle school. Danny came home saying it was horrible and he was tired and had a headache but I think we can blame that on the fact the day before at his annual check up he got his Covid booster shot. After Danny took a nap he felt much better and informed me his second day of 8th grade was way better. I was glad to hear that!
I've never seen my middle daughter more confident for a first day of school than this girl heading to 7th grade. Michelle came home happy as a clam (in the mud at high tide -- yes, I just looked up where that phrase came from). Most of her teachers are ones either Kate or Danny has already had, which actually led to a funny story in Algebra. When Mrs. M was taking attendance she asked Michelle if she had a gravity problem like her big brother and explained to the class that he had a tendency to fall out of his chair everyday. Michelle said it was even funnier since some of the kids knew Danny (there are both 7th and 8th graders in her class) and anyone who knows her can't imagine her causing trouble in school.
As for my day, let's just say it is very different than last year! Although we had a few students move on to high school we have many more students that are brand new to our school. One thing that I have found about working in the special ed department is that a new environment can be super hard on kids and exhausting for those that are trying to help them adjust. Let's just say there were comments at the end of the day such as, "that was intense" and "I need a nap" coming from the paras. I was so happy to see students that I knew from last year and I must say the boy I worked with the most was an absolute rock star. He got right back into the routines we had set up last year and was simply amazing. Seeing that gave me hope that our other students will be able to settle in and enjoy their new school eventually like he did.
Kate's full throttle first day of high school with all the grades there began before 8 in the morning and she wasn't home until about 9 at night due to their first home volleyball games. I didn't make it there in time to watch the C & D teams play but Hubby and I were so excited to go watch the JV team play. It was surreal to see Kate in the JV uniform sitting on the bench to play in a high school game and later to watch her cheer on the varsity players from the student section. Although she and three other girls never got court time we couldn't have been prouder of the fact she made that team as a freshman. I was also glad she decided to do club ball again to keep her competitive. And I learned something new about high school volleyball. The varsity team plays until best out of 5, not 3. I had Hubby take me home after the 3rd varsity set so that I could check on my napping teenager & the tween that was babysitting our elementary schooler for us and make sure we all ate dinner. Hubby went back to watch the rest and bring Kate home, which wasn't until around the time I was telling Natalie it was time to get ready for bed. What a day for her and we could't be more proud. Did I already say that?
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