Tomorrow, Rebecca starts a new year in preschool. She is going into Pre-K this year, her last year of preschool. She is still going to be at Chino Hills Christian, just a few doors down from her old classroom.
She's been a bit nervous about this change. Bless her heart, she isn't one for change. (I don't know where she gets that from!). She loved, loved, loved her teachers Mrs. E. and Mrs. Flores in her former class, so she was sad to be leaving them. However, when she met one of her new teachers, Miss Navarro, on Friday, Miss Navarro already knew who Rebecca was. This made a very good impression on Rebecca, so now she is looking forward to being with Miss Navarro. Hopefully Mrs. Morales will make an equally good first impression tomorrow and vice versa!
On a quick side note, I was a bit shocked to find out that leveling starts in Pre-K! Rebecca was put in the classroom she is going into because it is for "the smartest kids." Aside from the fact that I'm (ashamed to be) quite pleased that she IS one of "the smartest kids," it seems awfully early to put this kind of label on them, doesn't it? I mean, IQ isn't even stable for a few years yet! The psychologist in me is a bit horrified and knows that this really isn't good for any of them probably, though the mommy in me is glad that she doesn't have to be in class with the one lone "bad kid" who was in her class this past year. Of course, the kids don't know that they're levelled this way, but what about that whole self-fulfilling prophecy? Anway, I digress.
It tugs at my heart though to see that Rebecca has fears about her new school year. How well I remember those kinds of worries that adults see as being trivial but that I know are major worries for a four year old who is the smallest in her class and has such a strong pull toward perfectionism (and how guilty I feel that I've probably passed my own perfectionistic freakishness on to my child). She's worried about if she would know anyone in her class. As it turns out, we already know that at least two girls she is friends with will be in her class, although we don't know if either of the little girls she plays with most are in her class.
One of her concerns is related to the fact that she is going to be in Room 9. This is a problem, only because her 4-year old class happened to be in Room 4. Now, not only is she still four years old, she is going to ROOM NINE. I am pretty sure that in her mind, this means that she is going to be with much older kids, though I have tried explaining to her that the room number has nothing to do with the age of the kids. It doesn't help that now she is in "Pre K," which isn't so face valid about how old the kids are! She's also worried that the work will be hard, and she won't be smart enough. (I wonder how many times I had those same seeds of doubt along my academic career. Oh Lord, please let her not be plagued with self-doubt!).
Quite possible the most salient for Rebecca is that there's a little boy who was in her class who Rebecca played with every day. At the transition party, I got to see this little boy about whom Rebecca talks frequently. Apparently, he's a "nice boy, not a mean boy." And by nice, I think Rebecca means that he is willing to do what anyone tells him to do, because Rebecca plays "puppy" with him every day. She explained that this means they pretend he is her puppy, and she walks him on a leash. I'm a little bit worried about the self-esteem of this kid who is quite willing to be a puppy on a leash every day. Rebecca is worried that he might not be in her class, and she thinks (quite astutely, I believe) that probably no other kids will want to play puppy.
I'm sure that it will go well. Rebecca has a positive attitude about school and enjoys learning. So I'm sure she'll do fine. But please say an extra prayer for her tomorrow. And my niece who next week starts a public, charter high school on a college campus after having been in a private, Christian school so far in her education. And for my friend Jackie, whose son just left for college. And for all the other kids embarking on a new school year. And thank God I'm no longer one of them!
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