So yesterday as I walked into the Afterschool Care center to get Curly, a little boy who looks almost exactly like the one pictured came up to Curly and me. He’s a little too chubby for his age.
“Bye, bye, Curly!” He said, shyly.
I asked him for his name because I like learning my son’s friends’ names, as you do. Then I asked whether he’s from Curly’s class – I didn’t recognize him, so I knew he wasn’t but I just wanted to keep the conversation going (yeah, with a child!).
He said something like this, in one long breath, I swear to God:
“I’m in Year One. It’s a bit awful. We get lots of homework. It’s very annoying. I have to learn to write and read, and, if I make a mistake or if I start scribbling, I get put in timeout, which is like a naughty corner. We all hate it. And then, and then (he starts to stutter) my teacher always says if we don’t write on the lines we have to start ALL OVER AGAIN. I hate it! I don’t want to write curly letters like my Nana!”
He paused for a a second then finished with a “Since I started Year One we do sports EVERY Thursday. Maybe Curly might do his on Tuesdays, I don’t know! I don’t know!”
Did I think “Poor you, I’m sorry”?
NO!
I thought: Oh crap! And just last week we had a meeting with the teacher who said Curly (and us) don’t really need to panic about him starting Year One in February. That things should be OK except a little different – he’ll have his own desk and he’ll need to be OK with letting others sit at it when they have group activities.
Now I’m worried about whether he’d be getting timeout for making mistakes! And whether I’d have to fight him to do his homework! Y!kes!
I said “Aaw, well next year I’m sure it’ll get better! See you next term!” to the little boy and took my son home.
Now I’m sure I’m going to be thinking about this conversation for a few days! Is my kid going to hate school?
Can I keep my son home for the rest of his life? Is he going to hate school?
