March Girl3-isms

This is a letter to Girl3's Preschool Teacher:

Dear Ms. Emilie,

Thought you may find these “K-isms” amusing as they reflect directly on your wonderful influence as a teacher on her:

05/08/2008
K has a slight crush on an older boy J (5th Grader). Poor J goes to her new school this fall. K and I are on our way to Kindergarten Round-up – she’s mention J several times on the way there, and couple of times in the classroom as we take a school tour. I’m trying very hard not to give her much attention regarding this matter, because that often makes things worse.

We are looking at the “Big Buddy – Kindergartner” pictures in the hallway. The school has a “Big Buddy Program” which pairs up a 6th Grader and a Kindergartner for the school year. K sighs deep, and says “I hope that J is my Big Buddy when I come to school.”

We are heading down the hallway to leave, she says for what seems the 100th time “I wish I could see J today.” To which I respond from my “script” on this subject: “J is in class, so we probably will not see him today.” Of course, this barely leaves my mouth and we see J leaning against a wall, knee pointing out, one foot against the wall - in a 5th grader kind of James Dean “Rebel without a Cause” stance, waiting in line for a drink from the water fountain. I can feel the energy pour out of K – such excitement (my stomach is sick). Poor J, such embarrassment – he’s too young to take this attention as any kind of compliment – his eyes darting from side to side to see if any of his friends are seeing this.

On our way home, it’s “J this” and “J that” and I finally CRACK. In my Mommy-Can’t-Take-Much-More-of-This-Tone I rant “Kindergarten is just like Preschool. You are not there just to have fun, you are there learn. You are not there to chase after boys, kiss them, or hold their hands. K, you are 5 YEARS OLD – you are not a teenager – you do not get to have boyfriends for a long, long time.”

From behind me in her car seat I hear her say under her breath, “What can I say? Boys are my weakness.”

Me: “WHAT?”

K: “Nothing.”

Me, turning red: “What did you just say? WHAT did you just say?”

Katie: “Boys are my weakness?”

Me (knowing this hasn’t come from her 17 year old sister): “WHERE did you hear that – Boys are my weakness? – WHO taught you THAT?

Katie: ”Miss Emilie. Miss Emilie says Chocolate is her weakness, so Boys must be mine.”

I laughed on the inside. I cried on the inside. What a smart kid, what a sponge. What trouble we are in for.



05/21/2008
K is eating breakfast and says, “When kids are Happy and having fun they are 100%. When they are mad they are 2%. When they are nervous 3%, and sad - 1%.”

I knew Montessori would expose her to a lot – but WOW – a concept of percentages – I am impressed.

So thanks again, for being so good for K. I know that you know you make a difference for your kids – but just how much you may not really know.