Isaiah's first day of kindergarten went just fine.

We all had to get up early again today so that Ruth could drop me off at work and then bring Isaiah back to Alton for kindergarten by 8:35 and it seemed like it would be a very close thing.

Things were going wrong right and left as we were scurrying around the house this morning. I lost a contact lens, Isaiah was having an attitude problem with getting dressed, and while I was getting dressed and Ruth was getting something together- Gideon fell off Isaiah's bed. Isaiah was watching him, but he didn't think about Gideon falling off; he was mainly concerned with making faces at him so the he wouldn't start crying. AND we were running late.

Everything turned out OK, though. I had backup contacts, Isaiah got over his attitude very quickly when he remembered that it was kindergarten day, and Gideon was fine- just a little shook up. Traffic was even decent so that Ruth was able to get the boy to his first day of school with time to spare.

I had forgotten that his first two days are half days and was surprised for a moment when Ruth called at lunchtime and told me Isaiah was with her and had enjoyed a fine morning in his new class. I had her put Isaiah on the phone and asked him how it went.

"It was fine. I had a good time and I was good. I didn't have to go to the principal's office once!"

This reaction was nothing like the involuntary physical reactions of pure excitement he'd been displaying the days prior, but I was satisfied. A 'good time' is totally sufficient to be a great relief to me. I was still not certain how it would go and was very pleased with his reaction.

Tonight when I got home, I was perusing the contents of the folder he'll be hauling back and forth from school every day- behavior guidelines, a calendar of the days of the first quarter, and a coloring page of a bear he'd colored black and upon which he'd written his name across the top. His scrawl was a little rusty, but we've been lax in enforcing his practice regimen. However, I think he'll probably have plenty of practice in the weeks to come.

When I had satisfied myself with his paperwork, he conned me into assembling the robot we didn't get to last night. He didn't have to twist my arm too hard, though. I was glad to do something for him. He'd had a big day and done a mighty fine job according to all reports (especially his- he reiterated that he did not have to see the principal today) and I felt a treat was in order.

During supper Ruth and I asked him to describe the events of his day. He started off by letting us know in no uncertain terms that they didn't get to use the 'technology corner' today and that they also did not learn any science. We assured him that there would be plenty of time to get to such things once the year got into full swing. Then he told me about his desk.

"It's got a wood top and when you open it up- there's a storage area inside!"

Ruth explained to me that there was a slight confusion when he noted that someone else had already put their backpack in his cubby, but once the teacher explained that in kindergarten two students share each cubby he was satisfied. He told me that sharing a cubby was OK cause the other guy's backpack had transformers on it and then launched into a detailed description of the backpack and all the transformers on it and what they were doing. After the transformer backpack, he described how they all had to say 'here' when their names were called.

Ruth and I asked him to tell us some more about kindergarten, but he became reticent. I suppose he was just tired of talking. After all, it had been a big day and he was still winding down from the happy glow of excitement and talking can become a chore when supper's almost over and there's a new robot waiting to be played with in the family room.

I guess he must really have had a good day, though.
He ate his green beans at supper with almost no hassle at all!