A Tale from the Kindergarten Diaries

Last night we got to go to the football game together for a change. Normally the FFA runs the concession stand so J's there way before the game to way after the game. Last night they let the Booster Club have it for the evening so J and Lyle got a night off. After the game J talked to Mrs J, who comes into C's class at the end of the day to help with calendar time. Calendar time is where they talk about the days of the week, the months, weather, birthdays, etc. It must be working because C doesn't hesitate when you ask him his birthday. On the way home J told C that Mrs J said he was a very good listener at calendar time. That seemed to open the floodgates on some pent up feelings about kindergarten. Normally we can't get C to tell us much about his day, only that it was fine and he didn't loose a stick. He started telling us how boring he thinks school is and how much he doesn't like it. Rest time was really long that day and that was boring. I asked him what else he didn't like about school and he said Math, Writing and how sweaty he gets at recess. All the kids get sweaty and he just doesn't like it. I asked him if he had ever been the line leader and he said no, Mrs L never picks him and if he tries to get in the front of the line she makes him get in the back.
Then he said "Daddy, you'd hate my school, it's so boring". He said J wouldn't like it because they have to trace letters and it's so boring. J said that he used to be in kindergarten and had to trace letters. C said "I wish I was a teacher so I wouldn't have to trace letters". J told him that Mrs L used to have to trace letters and C said "No she doesn't!" I asked him if there was anything that he liked about school and he likes riding the bus, reading time and calendar time. Since his bus riding time is only about 5 minutes, unless J is driving, and this will probably be the only year he has calendar time, Reading is the only thing we have going for us. I wish I had a recording of his little voice venting his frustrations to us last night. It was dark in the truck so I couldn't see his expressions, which is probably just as well. We had a hard enough time not laughing as it was, seeing his expressions would've made it worse. I know school has been a shock to him because all of the times he had been at school before, he was in the High School. What C sees in the Ag classrooms are trailers being built and meat being cut. There are no letters to trace in daddy's room. We still have a long time to go until C can build a trailer. Considering it's September and C still hasn't gone a full week of school (they've had several early outs) we are in for a long 13 years.