Anna Catherine's First Day of Kindergarten

August 14, 2008---We moved to Pontotoc exactly three years ago this month, and immediately Anna Catherine longed for the day she would turn five, start "big school", and be a Cougar (school mascot for SP)! All of her school-age cousins went to South Pontotoc and were Cougars so she wanted to do the same thing. We were always going to the school for various assemblies, pep rallies, football games, pageants, etc. that family members participated in. Several times a month for the past three years, just out of the blue, she would say, "When I'm five I get to go to big school!" She didn't care to be three years old, or even four. She liked the parties and gifts but turning five was going to be a big deal. Well, on her fifth birthday she thought she was going to wake up and immediately begin kindergarten that day. I explained that she would have to get a check-up and shots and the doctor's office before she could start. Two months later when that happened, she thought she could enroll the next day. I was finally able to explain that she would have to wait until August. She wasn't happy about it but she agreed.

Today most of her wish came true. It's her first day as a kindergarten student but rather than being a Cougar, she is now a Viking (when we moved in December we changed school districts). We are no longer allowed to call it "big school"---she's in kindergarten. She woke up without a fight and ate breakfast. She dressed herself and fixed her own hair. She chose a hot pink shirt with sparkles, a vintage denim skirt with hot pink, orange, and yellow embellishments, and multicolored flip flops. She had her Hannah Montana messenger bag, Hannah Montana lunch box (filled with more food than she could possibly eat in a day), High School Musical water bottle (for lunch), and a second water bottle (to refill the HSM bottle for snack time). We dropped the babies off at the grandparents' house and were on our way.

North Pontotoc has a staggered kindergarten start day. School actually began on August 6th, but each kindergarten class has had only a few students per day since then. It allows the children to become acclimated to the rules, routines, procedures, etc. and each child is given an assessment test. Today's class roll included Anna Catherine, Candy, Mandy, Karly, and Haley. There will actually be 26 in her class when all students begin regularly on Monday. Her teacher, Mrs. Cindy, was my second grade teacher 27 years ago. Her assistant teacher, Mrs. Donna, has been a family friend for a long time and her parents were my neighbors while growing up. Another interesting coincidence (or at least I think it is) is that there is a boy in her room whose dad and I have been friends since we were four or five years old. We went to the same preschool, were in the same room in school from first grade through sixth and had one or more classes together from seventh grade until I graduated (a year early from the class I started with). Yes, North Pontotoc is a small school but there were four teachers per grade in elementary school and several options for classes in junior high and high school. I'm sure it's only a neat fact to me but I thought I'd throw it in anyway.

Anna Catherine was very excited. She was extremely quiet (which she only does when she is enjoying herself) and didn't speak on the ride to school She never spoke once we entered the room. We put her water in the refrigerator and her bags in her cubby. She sat down with the other girls, listened to the teachers instructions, and immediately began working. Mrs. Cindy asked her if it was okay for me to leave and she nodded her head, never looking. I bent down, gave her a kiss goodbye, and told her I would pick her up this afternoon. I looked back and she was opening her box of crayons, still never looking up. Surprisingly, I didn't tear up and neither did she. We'll get her verdict on the day's activities when we pick her up in a few hours.