The many faces of kindergarten

So we've officially been in kindergarten a month. How's it going?

Well . . . . Turns out there is a universal public elementary school discipline scheme that involves students starting each day with green, progressing to yellow for questionable behavior, and moving on to red if they are really delinquent. The end color is communicated to Travis kindergarteners in their folder by way of a happy face (stayed on green), straight face (got yellow), or sad face (the dreaded red). Now, I have long given up any notion that my kids are the idyllic, obedient children that I always imagined they would be in school (after all, I was exactly such a kid). But I thought we would have at least a couple of months before their behavior warranted discipline.

No such luck. In the first full month, the boys collectively had 3 happy faces that nevertheless included notes from the teacher about problem behavior, 4 straight faces, and one sad face. Most of Joe's transgressions have been behavior typical of him -- rolling around on the rug, playing when he is supposed to be working on something. Charlie, on the other hand, has been hitting. Seriously, HITTING???

But we think we are rounding the corner. The last week produced happy faces all around. I guess the adjustment to kindergarten is just bigger than we realized.

In other kindergarten news, the boys seem to be really enjoying their new school. They do not seem bored at all. The basic material--reading, math, etc.--may be what they already know, but they are presented in a way that makes all the kids think. For example, they have been reading simple stories (Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears), but have been reading different versions, comparing and contrasting them, discussing concepts like the characters, setting, etc.

And the reading itself! So far the "books" they bring home as homework are FAR below their reading level, but somehow between the class discussions and the books being read to them, the boys are now head over heels into chapter books. They are currently very into the Magic Treehouse series. We read to them at bedtime, but they've also started sneaking in a chapter here at there themselves -- getting up early and reading before breakfast, reading during naptime at school, reading while we're in the car, and reading while they wait for their after-school program to start. This morning, I had to tell Charlie to quit reading as we walked into school, for fear he was going to walk into oncoming traffic. It's so good to see them enjoying reading so much!

They've also been on TWO field trips already, including their first trip to the opera. That's what you get when you live in the big city -- their first opera experience at age 5 coincided with my first opera experience at age 38 (as chaperone). Even more exciting (to them), it was their first trip on a school bus. And they have made new friends and have had their first official playdate, with a little boy in Charlie's class. They are learning the ropes, getting comfortable with the school, and becoming more and more independent. At the same time, they are still young and sweet enough to occasionally hold hands with other little boys they have made friends with, as they walk together to class.

All in all, we are happy to be at Travis, happy we made the school decision we did, and particularly happy to see "happy faces" at the end of the day.