Yes, I'm as off-put by that commercial as are you. Even so, it is back to school time, and the kids are one week in to their new elementary school. They're loving it.
It's so different from what they experienced in Georgia. I'm not saying that its good or bad...its too early to tell for that...but it is certainly different. In Georgia, their elementary school had 1500 children. This school has 500. They had 11 or 12 classes for each grade there, only 4 for each here. Both schools have "advanced programs." There it was Horizons. Here it is LEAP. It's funny, there was some question initially if our two older kiddoes would need to be retested to see if "Georgia Smart" equals "Texas Smart." I think the initial assumption was that it wasn't. But the kids' scores were decent enough that they didn't have to be retested, and now they're both LEAPers.
We really like the children's teachers. Cotter's is an early 40s-looking divorcee whose genuine love for first graders has been evident since the moment we all met her. Cotter should thrive with her.
Kaylyn's teacher is in her 29th year teaching. The teacher said, "some people think I'm mean...I'm just structured." With Kaylyn's compliant nature, and preference for structure, she should do just fine.
The initial concern over friend-making has been offset by the joys of discovering who those friends are! Cotter at first had some difficulties because he is the tag-playingest boy you'll meet, and he was having a hard time finding friends who could satiate that jonesing. Yesterday, though, he made two friends who shared the "You're It!" fascination, and bonds were established.
Kaylyn's friend-making is so different from what I experienced at her age. Back in my day (cue Grumpy Old Man Voice), we never intermingled with kids from other grades. The class ahead of us would have nothing to do with us, and of course, we would have nothing to do with those who followed. It was the elitism that perpetuated through the ranks. Here, though, there is no such stigma, apparently. And I like that very much.
So the McKids are happy. The McParents are too. All is well. And now, I bring you the funny, hilarity that inspired this update, from my inbox to you: