No tears this morning for Zak. Looks like the trick is to get him in the class as quickly as possible. He walked in, got his stuff put away, and got to work counting cows.
Day 8: Day Follows Night
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Monthly Archives: August 2011
Cracked Resolve
Everything is fine until we get to the part where I have to leave. This is a tough way for both of us to start the day.
Day 7: Feigned Enthusiasm
Fake it until you make it.
Day 6: Must Be Monday
After a weekend of assurances he’d not have to go back to school until Monday, the big day was here at last. He put on his brave face and was happy when we got to school, and proud to show off some of his work that was displayed in the hall, but didn’t want me to leave when class started. (I didn’t want to go either)
Day 5: Best Day
To celebrate the end of the first week, we got donuts (and milk, I’m not completely irresponsible) and drove to school with mom.
Zach did great today in the midst of a bunch of kids who were lost in tears. I don’t remember it being like that last year. Lots of crying kids, but he wasn’t one of them. He was anxious as we entered the classroom, but he put away his stuff and got busy building with blocks like a pro.
Eagle Nest Lake
I spent some time with the family up in the mountains of NE New Mexico, around Eagle Nest. Here’s a picture of the valley around the lake.
Day 4: Up, Down, Up
Caught up to a huge bike bus on the way in with 15 kids and several parents all riding to school. I had the Z’s in the buggy but still managed to out-sprint the field and arrive at school in first place.
As soon as we got in Zak started to get scared. Zoe tried to comfort hIm, but he was crying as I left. I couldn’t take it and went back and held him until he calmed down. Then surprised me by asking me to take him to his classroom. He showed me how his backpack and lunch get put away properly and sat at a table and played with some blocks. He wasn’t exactly thrilled, but he was doing well enough when I left. As usual, I expect he’ll have a great day and be in fine spirits when mom picks him up.
I, on the other hand, may have to start spiking my coffee.
Day 3: Best Part of the Morning
Zak rode the tag-a-long to school today, fulfilling a life-long dream. Zoe rode her scooter, which took forever, and we ended up 10 minutes late for the start of class. Slightly better drop-off this morning, but I did hear him start to cry as I walked down the hall.
Day 2: Getting Better All The Time
Great start to the day with Zach super-excited to be going back to school again today after a good first day. The kids rode in the buggy behind the bike as we rode to school today, instead of taking the car. We got to school around the time that most of the students were being led to class, so we dropped Zoe off at her door and I took Zach to the cafeteria to find his class. Zach had gotten through the day yesterday with the help of a tiger puppet he’d brought from home and Dena had gotten him a bracelet with a stuffed frog attached as a reward for getting through day one. Zach had pulled the frog from the bracelet and had given it to the tiger puppet as a friend of his. He brought both of the with him today, as seen in the photo.
Zach grew a little apprehensive when we got to the cafeteria. There were a few other kids crying today, which didn’t help, but as long as I was there he was fine. The teacher came to pick up the class and lead them like a train to the classroom. That’s when Zach discovered his frog had gone missing. I walked him to his class and promised I’d find the frog and get it back to him. I got him seated at a table with a group of boys and walked out to find the frog as he started to cry, putting his head down on the table.
Broken Promise
I went up and down the halls, back out to the buggy and through every nook and cranny. No frog. I went back to the classroom and snuck a peak. He wasn’t crying, just looking around at what the other kids were doing, and he’d put his head down for second or two before looking up again to see what was going on. I decided not to go in and just head to work. I hate that I told him I’d find his frog and come back and instead I did neither. It was the right thing to do, but if there’s anything I’ve learned in my life until now it is this: doing the right thing almost always sucks.
Day 2: Getting Better All The Time ((tag: School Day))
Great start to the day with Zach super-excited to be going back to school again today after a good first day. The kids rode in the buggy behind the bike as we rode to school today, instead of taking the car. We got to school around the time that most of the students were being led to class, so we dropped Zoe off at her door and I took Zach to the cafeteria to find his class. Zach had gotten through the day yesterday with the help of a tiger puppet he'd brought from home and Dena had gotten him a bracelet with a stuffed frog attached as a reward for getting through day one. Zach had pulled the frog from the bracelet and had given it to the tiger puppet as a friend of his one. He brought both of the with him today, as seen in the photo.
??
Zach grew a little apprehensive when we got to the cafeteria. There were a few other kids crying today, which didn't help, but as long as I was there he was fine. The teacher came to pick up the class and lead them like a train to the classroom. That's when Zach discovered his frog had gone missing. I walked him to his class and promised I'd find the frog and get it back to him. I got him seated at a table with a group of boys and walked out to find the frog as he started to cry, putting his head down on the table.
??
Broken Promise
??
I went up and down the halls, back out to the buggy and through every nook and cranny. No frog. I went back to the classroom and snuck a peak. He wasn't crying, just looking around at what the other kids were doing, and he'd put his head down for second or two before looking up again to see what was going on. I decided not to go in and just head to work. I hate that I told him I'd find his frog and come back and instead I did neither. It was the right thing to do, but if there's anything I've learned in my life until now it is this: doing the right thing almost always sucks.
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