IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

DAY 65-67

38 years ago I rolled up to my first day at school….as a teacher. Virtually a lifetime ago, but I still remember those years in great detail and with much fondness. It was quite normal back then to have 30-35 children in your class, and the idea now of being in a room by myself in charge of 30 five year olds sounds way more than just scary. Back then though, fresh out of teacher’s college and with youth and enthusiasm and idealistic zeal on my side, I took it all in my stride and with great gusto.

I only ever taught Preps, the first year at school, and relished seeing these little ones, some of whom were not happy chappies at being torn from their blissful lives of constant play, settle in to a brand new environment and thrive as they were faced with new challenges.

It was an interesting process when the time came to deliver my own children to their first Prep teacher, knowing the best thing I could do was to hightail it out of there as quickly as I could so the teacher could get the children settled and get the ball rolling. Seeing other little ones clinging to their Mums and having to be physically peeled off is no fun, and the nurturing parent in you just wants to scoop them up and return them to what is safe and familiar. As a teacher, it was surprising how quickly they settled as soon as the parents were gone and this new world opened up to them, but as a Mum it can be a heart wrenching moment.

Now, all this time later, my granddaughter Bella has just gone through this same experience, not her first day at school, but her first day at Kinder. Another year to go until we get to that milestone, but the process was the same, and it wasn’t a very happy one. Living out of town on a rural property, she hasn’t been accustomed to the usual routines of day care or play group or mixing with lots of other kids, so the whole thing was a bit overwhelming, both for her and her Mum.

There was great excitement at orientation day late last year, and getting fitted out with a school uniform, how on earth will she cope with wearing something other than pink, but the reality of being in someone else’s hands besides Mum or Dad or her grandparents was a bit nerve racking. Things went a little smoother on the second day (thankfully it’s only 2 days a week), but she didn’t seem to want to talk about it much, so hopefully after a couple of weeks the routine will kick in, she’ll find a special friend, and the whole thing will at last become something to look forward to.