Way back when Clare was two and starting preschool, I found a very cute book called First Day, which puts in poem format a little girl's first day at school. It's one of Tim's favorite books, and it does a nice job of expressing the nervousness and apprehensions a child has on the first day of a new school. It's clear, though, that the main character was not based on Clare. Although I had to wake her up this morning, once she realized it was the first day of school she bounded out of bed and said, "I need to get my uniform on!" (Let's just hope she moves with similar speed every other day.) She was chipper and chatty the whole way to school, and when we were walking from the parking deck to the courtyard, she spotted one of her classmates that she met over the summer and confidently called out, "Hi, Caitlin!" Similarly, once we were in the auditorium she went over to greet another girl that she knew from Sunday School. And when it was time for the Kindergarten kids to head off to class, and her name was called, she strode forward with nary a backward glance. So, it went pretty well! Of course, when I picked her up, she was pretty quick to say in a disappointed voice that they didn't read or have nap time today. Those noon dismissals - not the advantage to Clare that they are to other kids, apparently.
