Kaylee Goes to Pre-K

Today is Kaylee’s first day of school. She should probably be going to kindergarten, but her birthday misses the cut-off date by about 6 weeks, so it’s off to Pre-k she went.

She was excited and anxious and cried just a bit as she realized I would not be staying there with her. Her teacher, Mrs. A, was really nice and comforting and I knew she’d be fine as soon as I was out of sight.

Do most 4 year olds not recognize their own written names? I’ve never really thought about it before but Kaylee has known how to read, spell, and type her name for at least a year and a half. And she’s been writing it for several months now, which was also a shock to her teacher. I was surprised at how many kids in K's class couldn't recognize their own names. Maybe it's the former teacher's aide/literacy tutor in me, but I've always worked with my kids on things like this. I think I started teaching Kaylee her name when she was about 2 years old. She could actually type it before she could write it or spell it.

Before I left I kissed Kaylee’s hand and reminded her of the story we’d read the night before. She was in tears and begging Mama to stay with her, but I somehow kept my cool and assured her she would be fine and I would pick her up this afternoon. Then I left with tears in my own eyes.

My baby is in school. What am I going to do with myself for 7 hours everyday? So far today, I’ve read a book, taken a morning nap, and checked the clock a zillion times to see if it was time to pick her up yet. And it’s not even lunchtime. I’ve still got nearly 3 hours to go. I hope she’s holding up better than I am.