Kindergarten Exhaustion

This is what kindergarten can do to you:


We've been in school for a week now and I think we're all finally getting used to the new schedule. Well, most of us anyways. The little one has been exhausted! The last two days have brought a few meltdowns before and after school. It's tough being a kindergartner. There's so much to learn. You're not just learning your ABCs and 123s. You're also learning how to do school. Even kids who came to the elementary school setting from the preschool setting are learning how school works. They've never been to P.E. They've never been so responsible for their own things. They've never gotten their own lunch in a cafeteria.

And speaking of that last one, I decided to volunteer to help the kindergartners learn their way around the cafeteria this week. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When I arrived the lead mom told the rest of us, "They're like ping-pong balls. They hit a surface and bounce the other way." She was right.

First we sent the ones who brought lunches through the line. They would walk in with curious eyes taking in their surroundings and end up walking right into the person in front of them or a table or a wall which would lead to a fight or a little cry or perhaps a few stubbed toes. Then the ones buying lunch would get a tray and turn around to get another one because of some completely illogical reason that the first one wasn't good enough. Or halfway through the line they would decide they didn't want a fork and turn around to get a spoon bumping into everyone behind them along the way. Then all of the kids who got bumped would think they were supposed to turn around as well. So they would and the whole lot would try to exit where they entered inevitably dropping trays full of food. Or they would stand in front of the food just staring at the options, decide not to get anything at all, and try to grump out of the door. So we'd redirect them and try to convince them to get something to eat which they would begrudgingly do. Then they have to learn to pay for their food which most of them forgot to do and became mini-thieves. Somewhere in between going back to pay for their stolen food and trying to find their table, they would get separated from their class, and the stress of the whole lunchtime event would cause a few of them to forget their own name. Remembering their teacher's name wasn't even an option. They would burst into tears and have to be walked around until one of the teachers claimed them. While we're getting them food and seating them, the teachers are opening containers, bananas, and juice boxes one handed while quickly eating with the other hand. As soon as the last table of kindergartners is seated you have about five minutes to catch your breath before the first table is ready to leave. Then begins the trash and tray dumping which missed the trashcan completely 9 out of 10 times. By the time all of them had left the cafeteria all of us were sweating and about to collapse.

Kindergarten teachers I applaud you. Wow! You must be exhausted for weeks after school starts. Although, I have to say, you get to work with some of the cutest incompetent people in the world.

As for my own little sprite, she's learning the ropes fast and loving it. She comes home very excited to tell me about her day. She's making new friends and learning new things and eating cookies. A lot of cookies. Apparently that's how her teacher is getting two minutes of quiet during these first few days. Whatever works is fine with me. I now know that her teacher has earned a few minutes of quiet time. Sanity is worth a few extra cookies.