Back to School

T.J. got to school last Friday. It was a chore to get him out of bed, a project to to get his boots and gloves on and an odyssey to get him to the car. We were late of course, our hopes of a delayed school opening because of the falling snow and slick roads dashed. He went to the meeting with the school nurse and the interview with the principal with Mom and Dad and Yuanfang. It was determined he would be placed in first grade, not necessarily doing the same work as the others but attending their music and gym classes, library time, circle time and other activities with a daily dose of ESL. We were thrilled that his teacher would be the smart, intuitive woman who had guided Jiejie through first grade. When T.J. threw himself on the floor in front of the classroom and refused to go in, his teacher knelt and petted him, speaking to him in a gentle voice. Ultimately, we walked him down to the science center where Jiejie's class was watching a film on global warming. He sat beside her on the floor, and when the class was over, he walked with her to the first grade room.  While T.J. entered first grade, I waited in the lobby for a few hours, reading. The teacher sent down periodic reports to the office. Later, she came down and led me to the music room to see a smiling, clapping T.J. happily joining the crowd. At that point, everyone thought it was safe for me to leave and let T.J. get through the day. He did. And he went back again today, with Jiejie the second grader escorting him to class and to the school bus. The mornings are staring earlier now, and breakfast, even if it's just cereal and milk, is taking longer as the rituals change to accommodate another child. We're lucky Meimei isn't in a morning class. It's difficult getting three kids to bed, but it would be harder to get three off to school at the same time.