Back to School Night

As a teacher, I attended "Back to School Night" or "Open House" every year for eleven years. I spent hours decorating bulletin boards, rearranging desks, organizing bookshelves, xeroxing and putting together welcome packets, and practicing what I would say to the anxious parents of middle school students. This year the tables turned. Last night Andrew and I attended this event, and for the first time I was the PARENT, not the teacher. Both of my babies start preschool on Tuesday, so Andrew and I got the chance to meet their teachers and visit the classrooms. Since I work at the Family Center, I was already pretty familiar with everything, but I wanted Andrew to see where I'll be taking the kids every day. We signed up for the classroom blogs so we can always have the inside scoop, got a short list of school supplies, and found out our assigned week to bring snacks for the class and make play dough (all of the parents take turns). Both of the kids also have their first homework assignment--an "All About Me" activity/collage that we have to help them make and take in on their first day of school. This is intense! And of course I'm taking these assignments seriously because the teacher side of me knows what the teachers expect, and I don't want to be that parent. :) So this Labor Day weekend will include some homework and play dough-making in addition to our usual time in the pool.

Ryder and Harper's first backpacks!