Today, we met our teacher, who we are to call, Finbar. I had prepared the girls for "Mr. Burke," and they had even practiced writing it. I told him it would be hard for me to get used to referring to him by his first name. The girls did great - it's Mom who is having all the behavior problems. I can't begin to tell you how much fun Sam is having with me right now. Don't tell him, but it's good that he's able to help me lighten up a little.
I was laughing at myself because there were not enough lines on the questionnaire for me to write the answers. Sam teased me about Finbar asking if the girls had any illnesses, and I started with my details of the pregnancy and birth. I put out all their supplies on the table, labeled them with each girls' name, and took a picture.
There are 13 students in the girls' class. There is a set of triplets (us) and a set of identical twin girls! So, five of the seven girls in the class, are multiples! There are several other sets of twins in the school - pretty cool! I'm pretty sure the other kindergarten teacher told us there are 7 nationalities represented among the 26 kindergarteners.
The girls' teacher is from New York, but has lived in Japan for several years. There is also an assistant in the class named Mamako. It's just really nice knowing the girls are going to start off school in a class of 13, and there is an assistant!
Granny Glenn sent us two wonderful books, that I had been wanting, 'The Night Before Kindergarten,' and 'The First Day Jitters." Thanks Granny for the books and movies and treats! I read them to the girls tonight. They are not really nervous at all (Izzy may be just a little). She wanted to stay very close to me today (CLING).
I'm going to take them to school in the morning, but they will ride the bus home. I wish I could tell you what I'm feeling right now, but I'm such a ball of anxiety, sadness, happiness, excitement, blah, blah, blah :)
Pictures to come :)
I've got to go fix three very special lunches. The girls wanted Chiyomi-style sandwiches (I'll have to explain that one later), yogurt, apple slices, and juice. I'm also going to add a little love note for each of them :(
Have a great week!
Love,
~Michelle
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5 comments:
Oh, how very exciting!!! That is odd to get used to calling a teacher by the first name. And what a wonderful experience - 13 kids, a teacher, and an aide ... what a concept!!!
Hang in there Michelle, you can make it! =)
Get ready for the quietest day of your life!! I wish I could have found a book for Mom's first day of school!!! I know the girls are well prepared and will do very well. I just hope you can hold it together. Take extra care driving. I got my first and only ticket the week Bill started school. It's such a freedom to drive without kids in the car.
But that #1 rule of 'check on them when they are quiet', will have you looking for them for some time.
Wait till Sam's first day off and they aren't there for him to play with. You can laugh at him then.
That is a great sign only 13 and an aide. They will really blossom. You will quickly find things you can do and places you can go that you weren't able to with girls. Just enjoy this time as special in its own way. Love Mom
...and don't drink too much wine! lol (just kidding!)
What an experience for them! It's awesome. Now we just have to help mommy through it. :) You'll make it!
I know how you are feeling right now. Mine start in the morning (Wednesday) I just cannot stand the thought of sending them all off to school and being alone all day. Our class has 25 at least they are still registering and no helper.
Hugs,
chrissy
Hi from Finbar! (Mr. Burke) :-)
Thanks so much for providing the link here in your correspondence with me--this is a great family blog, especially the photos.
Your girls have gotten off to a great start--so great, in fact, that they have substantially eased my own efforts this year to have all the children become comfortable--in a matter of days! They are all very sociable and have already made several friends. And so talkative! I've already heard many things about Vanilla, including the shark story. Izzy, too, has settled in quite well.
We actually have 14 children in our classroom! And YES it is fantastic to have a teaching assistant with so few children; I don't know what I would do without her!
The name thing (Finbar) may be nontraditional, but so are most aspects of our program, which is influenced by the early childhood programs of Reggio Emilia, Italy. This is my background, so I'm excited to talk about it at Open House soon. Basically speaking, we (teachers) rely upon the children's own interests and questions to build integrated units of learning. We also stress communicating thoughts and understanding in numerous ways (not depending so much on the "3 R's", but through dramatic expression, song, visual arts, movement, etc.: helping children express themselves more capably than can be limited by their present limits linguistically and in terms of reading/writing). That said, the school as a whole is also heavily focused on literacy development from Pre-K.
So far, the triplets seem to have found themselves in a very comfortable space and atmosphere :-), and I hope it will help them continue to blossom! I'll check your blog now and again (but please don't let this stymie your communications with family and friends in *any* way--I'm pretty fine with doubts/worries/criticisms (I deal with it every year as a male early childhood teacher!). I like to stay informed of doings at home (I'm very keen on the home-school connection for children). Again, let me express great admiration for what you parents are accomplishing with these girls (triplets, Japan(!)). And thank you, again, for offering to be strongly involved with us!
:-) Finbar Burke
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