The Back To School Issue
Find your cubby and join us on the mat.
by Babble Editors
September 9, 2008
This morning, my son started a wonderful nursery school. The experience was equal parts heartwarming and awful. I'd been prepared for separation anxiety, for bullies in the classroom, for bad flashbacks my husband and I would have of our own school days, for my just-two son's being one of the youngest kids. What I was not prepared for: his not being able to get it through his head that he couldn't go into the hallway. The school has a prolonged phase-in, where parents sit in the classroom with the kids for the first few classes.
In theory, this is a great system, whereby everyone slowly gets used to the idea that for a few hours a week the child will be in someone else's care, doing new things and abiding by new rules . . . like please, dear God, do not go into the hallway again. Instead, it's like an Olympic event in which every ten minutes you leap from your foot-tall chair to pry your shrieking, but usually-very-reasonable-I-swear child once again from the classroom door.
In our Special Issue, we'll be talking about some other things that can blindside you when it comes to school. Holly Korbey will talk about why she's eager to get her kindergarten-age son into school despite pressure to "redshirt" him and keep him back. Kevin Keck will talk about his wife's curious vendetta against their young son's teacher. Joanne Rendell will talk about why she's opting out of the whole experience and keeping her kindergarten-age son home.
Plus, there will be plenty of useful information, like family-friendly recipes by the amazing author of Out of the Frying Pan, chef Gillian Clark, the latest research about the vaccinations required for school entry, and a masterlist of timesavers that will help you get out of the house faster in the morning.
In my memory, this whole morning was one long blur of pulling my furious toddler away from the door, but in retrospect, it was a pretty magical first day at school. He painted two pictures, played with PlayDoh, met some lovely new kids, fawned over his pretty teachers, did a whole train puzzle, fake-bathed and put to bed an army of dolls, and smiled through the goodbye song. And so, the irony: when I tried to take him home, he didn't want to leave. — Ada Calhoun
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
By Holly Korbey
Why I didn't "redshirt" my kindergarten-age son. |
|
|
By Kate Bayless
Our five favorite suits for dapper toddlers. |
|
|
By Rebecca Odes & Ceridwen Morris
How do I protect my kid from the jerk in his class? |
|
|
By Kevin Keck
My mother assaulted my teachers, and now my wife is gunning for our son's. |
|
|
By Madeline Holler
The writer-performer takes on those scary, scary public schools.
|
|
|
By Kate Tuttle
The latest on vaccine safety -- and why skeptics still oppose required shots. |
|
|
By Nicole Feliciano
Leave the house less harried with these helpful products. |
|
|
By Gillian Clark
The single-mom chef's best recipes for busy families. |
|
|
By Joanne Rendell
Why my kid won’t attend school this fall — or maybe ever. |
|
|
By Babble Editors
Expert advice on preparing your preschooler. |
|
FROM OUR ARCHIVES |
|
By Kim Mance
How "No Child Left Behind" ruined American education. |
|
|
By L. J. Williamson
Why are there so few male teachers? |
|
|
By Jessica Wakeman
School-lunch crusaders take on the USDA and the slushie. |
|
|
By Babble Staff
Waldorf, Montessori, Reggio Emilia -- what do they all mean? |
|
|
By Sarah Sundberg
Education. Private school in NYC, K-5: $161,590. |
|
|
By Miriam Axel-Lute
How to keep your kids' "inner wildness" -- and still keep them safe. |
|
|
By Gwynne Watkins
The YouTube phenom on teaching kids to sing Tori Amos. |
|
©2008 Nerve Media
MORE SPECIAL ISSUES
