Monday, November 8, 2010

Matthew's 1st Day at Preschool

In the car, ready to go to school. The only times I've mentioned school to Matthew were yesterday and this morning. Without any past experience of school though, my mini-talks of school were irrelevant to him. This morning he was just happy to be in the car. He loves car rides. He loves going places. Sometimes he'll bring his shoes to me and say "shoes, car."

car ride to school
Today was his first day of preschool. In a rush leaving our house, I forgot to take photos at home. To remedy that, I took a photo of Matthew in the school parking lot next to his Lightning McQueen backpack and red lunchbox.

at the school parking lot
Entering one of the gates at school, I felt nothing but excitement for him. I didn't feel sad that he wasn't going to be home with me anymore. I was certainly going to miss him for 3 hours each day but I knew he was ready for more - friends, learning experiences outside the home, teachers other than myself, and most importantly, independence. Bill and I welcomed this milestone with smiling faces, no sad tears. One of his cousins goes to the same preschool but he is in a different classroom. Still, Matthew was very excited to see his Auntie dropping off his cousin T at school.

entering the gate
His initial reaction upon entering the classroom was what I had expected - overwhelmed by the other kids, somewhat bewildered and very unsure of his new surroundings. He covered his ears in an effort to filter everything that was going on. He chewed on his fingers. He looked all around and a few times headed toward the door. He wasn't crying or upset though - just unsure of what to do and where to go. "Have fun. We'll see you later," I said as Elizabeth and I gave him a kiss goodbye. "I'll let you know how he does," said his teacher, guiding him into the center of the classroom to meet the other kids. And feeling unsure of what to do next, I stepped out of his classroom and headed home wondering how his 1st day would go.

in the classroom
No tears! His speech therapist walked with him to meet me at the pick-up area. He had a good first day, I was told. The only time he almost cried was when everyone was waiting to go home. There were a few kids near him that were crying and it was starting to upset him but he held it together. No tears. He was happy to see me and Elizabeth, greeting us with a kiss.

end of 1st day
I hope he does just as well tomorrow.

7 comments:

one_plustwins said...

Yay, Matthew and Mommy!!

Monica Crumley said...

Yay, Matthew! So glad it went well for him today. JM is right behind him, starting preK after Thanksgiving.

Rey Minano said...

I can't stop smiling :)

Looking Up said...

Hooray for both of you! You are both so brave! Just the thought of dropping my son off at preschool is enough to make me tear up. Thank goodness I've got another year to prepare for that day. :) Excited to hear about all of the new things that Matthew will learn. I have no doubt that he is going to do so well. :)

Rochelle said...

Yeah Matthew! Hope today is a great day too!

Beverly said...

awesome!!! way to go Matthew

Elisabeth said...

That's wonderful that his first day went so well. I look forward to reading about Matthew's time at preschool and learning from your experiences.