First Day Jitters

Tears, fears, and thumping hearts. Yes, these are common during the first days of primary school. I've been on early morning duty for the past two weeks, which means that I hang out in the cafeteria to supervise children who arrive at school earlier than 7:30. Since the bell rings at 7:45, hundreds and hundreds of students fill our lunchroom for 20 minutes or so as they wait for classrooms to open. One spiky-haired little boy caught my attention the first day because he came in crying, and I noticed that he continued to quietly do so as he sat at a table with his head down. I could see those shaking shoulders and feel the child's misery. Kneeling down to check on him, I discovered that he was brand new at our school, a first grader who'd transferred from another town. Because our school is huge, with around 1000 K-2 children, I knew this boy must be overwhelmed with anxiety about finding his classroom, meeting a new teacher and lots of fellow classmates, and catching on to how first grade at a new school works. For the rest of his wait in the cafeteria, I stood nearby, occasionally rubbing his back and reminding him that he was safe and that I would help him find his classroom. I was proud of his efforts to try to stop crying and keep the volume low, and I knew this was a real struggle for him and that he wanted his mommy. When the time came for dismissal, the splotchy-faced little boy stood up, wiped his face on his sleeve, took a deep breath, and offered me his very moist and sticky hand. Knowing what was on that hand, a hesitated a fraction of a second, but of course compassion and empathy kicked in and took over. As I took his hand to walk him down the hall, warm feelings overtook me and I actually felt my own thumping heart and sting of tears. Sometimes you just have these moments when you know you're doing what you're supposed to be doing with your life, and there's no better feeling in the whole world. Later in the day, the teacher reported that my new friend had calmed down and been smiling within five minutes, which is often the case. Throughout the week, I kept my eyes on the little boy as he waited in the lunchroom before school started. For a few days, I did see some tears and a lowered head, but I noticed how kind other children were to him when they noticed his struggles. This past week, which was the second week of school, I saw no tears at all, so my new friend has found his wings and is ready to take off into the adventure of first grade! I'm quite thankful for the small moments of every day in which I clearly see the evidence of children's learning and growing!