first grade blues

Most of you know that Hannah has had a couple meltdowns before school this year, suddenly saying she doesn't feel well or she just wants to stay home with me. The cause is still a little unclear but I have to give her teacher big props for being so great to Hannah and trying to help me figure out what is bothering her.

You might be asking yourself how anything can be bothering a girl in 1st grade. It's not like she has to do that much! She still has her fair share of play and coloring but 1st grade is NOTHING like kindergarten and a world away from preschool. Her preschool days were spent playing and learning how to socialize with other kids and listen to a teacher. She had naptime and tons of toys available to her. The first thing she said to me when we went to kindergarten open house was "there are no toys in there." She was nervous then. But even kindergarten was full of circle time, stories, teacher doing about everything for you and only homework like once or twice all year. So far this year she has had homework just about every night (when she didn't bring home homework last Thur or Fri I was afraid she had lost the papers or something b/c there is always homework). There is only one teacher in her classroom and the kids have to do things on their own. The have desks and never sit around the floor. (Hannah's jeans might make it thru the winter without holes this year!) I think they spend most of their time doing math and spelling. She has real grades now and what she does actually matters this year. It has been a hard adjustment for her.

After Hannah's second meltdown, last Thur, I sent a note to the teacher the next morning asking if she had noticed anything that might be bothering her. Hannah knew I was sending a note but I didn't tell her what it said. When I picked her up on Fri the first thing she said was that since I had sent that note, the teacher had been asking her all kinds of questions. I asked her what kind of questions and she said things like do I like school, do I like my teacher and classmates, and others but I can't remember now. Then she said, "I said yes to everything except that I don't like homework or school." I couldn't help but laugh. I got a call from her teacher, which I missed. The voicemail said that she had been talking to Hannah and trying to find out what was wrong and that she seemed to be fine once she got in the classroom that morning. She explained all the things I explained about how it is a big adjustment. So I have just let it go basically and walk on eggshells in the morning and try not to make her mad and set her off! So far, so good. When I picked her up yesterday she said she loves her teacher. She asked if she could take an apple to her this morning. I thought that was the sweetest thing. Of course, I let her! I asked why she wanted to take an apple, had someone else done that. She said the teacher asked her if she would. I think just trying to give her something to look forward to.

Hopefully before long she'll be back to loving school and will be excited about going!