School Days

I meant to post this blog about a week ago, but somehow time got away from me...

Hint, hint!

It's hard to believe that we've entered the school years! Tobin started Kindergarten the day after Labor Day and couldn't have been more excited. His teacher, Ms. Laurie, arrived in Korea just two weeks before school started! She's still staying in the Army Lodge because she doesn't have a home yet. I can't imagine how stressful it is coming to a different country, with none of your things and setting up a classroom for a new school year, but she seems like she's up for the challenge. She's been teaching for as long as I've been alive so this is probably a much-needed, adventurous change of pace for someone with a lot of experience with Kindergarteners. Bless her heart.

A few people have asked if we're going to Korean schools and the answer is no. Toby went to a Korean preschool for a few weeks and didn't like it so we switched him to the American preschool on the Army post and he liked it much better. I think it would be great for them to learn Hangul but I'm not going to push it. Hangul isn't very useful unless you're in Korea and we don't plan on being here long-term (um, right, Marc?) I know that its good for a child's development to learn any second language but I'd rather it was one that I'm also interested in learning so we can work on it together.

His birthday is just a few weeks after school starts so we wanted to combine his starting-of-school with some early birthday presents.

He's really into Superheroes right now. A Spiderman backpack, Marvel comics lunch bag, a totally cool skater dude t-shirt, and new jeans for school.

The first pedaling on a new-to-him bike

Toby's school is only one year old. Its a gorgeous, state-of-the art, brand new school with real hallways and stairs and a cafeteria. (Growing up in Southern California, everything was outdoors, so I've always thought that was cool and more school-looking.) I think our first school experience is spoiling us! I doubt he'll ever go to a brand new school again after this. Everything is so nice and new. Sadly, Toby didn't make it into the same class as his three best buddies from preschool but he knows a few of the kids in his class and he's good at making friends.

His first day, armed with his lunch bag!

Abuzz with excitement. The gal in the white pants is the Principal.

I love all the new, huge backpacks on these little kids.

In they go!

The American school on the Army post has buses that can pick up off-post kids. My first thought was, "No, Toby won't take the bus" but then Jonah expressed an unexpected interest in going to preschool. Kindergarten starts at the ridonkulous time of 7:40am and preschool starts at 8:30. That means I would have to wake up Doren and drag all three kids out the door by 7:15 to get Toby to school, then wait around in a parking lot for an hour before Jonah starts school. It doesn't make sense to go home for 30 minutes just to turn around again and there is nothing open on post that early for us to kill the time. So the bus it is. I still wasn't thrilled until I found out more about the buses. I remember when I took the bus back in Kindergarten...The seats were extra bouncy and there were no seat belts! We were literally bobbing and bouncing down the road and I would have horrible thoughts of missing my stop. It was just the driver, a huge mirror and about sixty kids. The scary, loud sixth graders sat in the way back and timid, worried little me sat as close to the driver as possible (and because I liked to watch him or her turn the giant steering wheel). The school buses we have here have seat belts and there is a bus monitor in addition to the driver. Kids in third grade or above can walk home unchaperoned after drop-off, but those in second grade or lower must be picked up by an approved adult. And that adult's face must be seen on the surveillance camera inside the bus when the child is picked up. Its a very controlled system. So it's changed a lot since I was kid - here anyway. I dropped him off and picked him up from school the first two days and then he wanted to start riding the bus. That morning I was anxiously excited for him. He was super excited but once we got to the bus stop I could tell he was nervous. He climbed on, the monitor lady buckled him up right behind the driver, he waved and they drove off. I was definitely misty-eyed watching my big boy go off to school, but the other moms around me assured me they all went through the same feelings and he would be fine. Fortunately, one of his best friends gets on at the stop before ours, so she's already there when he gets on in the morning.

Waiting at the bus stop. Eeeeek!

Thank goodness for friends!

After a fun day at school.

Jonah, who turned 3 in June, showed an interest in going to the same preschool we took Toby. Its MWF for three hours in the morning. I kept telling my shy, clingy boy that Mommy doesn't stay at the school the whole time, but he still said he wanted to go, so we signed him up. That finally started a week ago. I fully anticipated a change of heart when we got there. I was sure Jonah would have a "shy day", hold my leg, and throw a fit if I tried to leave him there. This is the same boy who would randomly decide on certain days that he was too shy to go to the play group we've been going to twice a week every week since we arrived in Korea. I just never know when he's going to participate and when he's going to hold back. I figured that even if he did want to stay I would get a call a few minutes later from the teacher to come pick him up because he was hysterical. Boy, was I wrong! He picked out his favorite shirt, pulled his socks up as high as they would go and squealed the whole way to school.

A morning hug for his friend and classmate.

Marching himself to the classroom with his bag of extra potty clothes. Ha!

He wanted to get busy but I forced him to hug me.

(furiously typing) "This report is due in an hour! The boss is gonna have my hide!"

Three best friends. Their older brothers are also best friends.

As soon as we entered the classroom, Jonah barely even looked back at me. I was still sure that he would make eye-contact and start crying. Nope. Nothing. Wow! All of the sudden he seems so grown up.

Both boys are SO excited about school. I hope the feeling lasts, oh, about 12 more years.
I feel very fortunate that they are both in great schools with good friends and loving every minute of it!

Now, back to my lover boy...

XXOO