{"id":7347,"date":"2022-09-06T08:18:04","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T13:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/intersections\/?p=7347"},"modified":"2023-01-03T11:53:53","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T16:53:53","slug":"first-day-of-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/intersections\/2022\/09\/06\/first-day-of-school\/","title":{"rendered":"First Day of School: Sending your child to JK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Natasja VanderBerg, Family Care Advisor & Education and Communications Coordinator<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Child
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels: https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/girl-reading-english-alphabet-3662801\/<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first day of school brings mixed feelings for both parents and children. When my child started Junior Kindergarten last year, he was excited and ready. I was not quite as ready. Here are some things I wish I would have realised more fully before sending my kid off on their first day of school:

1)<\/strong> Neither my partner nor I were allowed in my kid\u2019s school.<\/strong> Due to Covid, drop-off was outside, as was pick-up. I was able to catch a glimpse of the classroom through the window. It felt rather strange to send our four-year-old into a world of his own \u2013 one that we hadn\u2019t seen. I had to learn to get used to my child having an entire world that I was not part of. My kid didn\u2019t seem to mind at all. Maybe things will be different this year. Hopefully!

2) Practices of inclusion and exclusion are quite pronounced in kindergarten.<\/strong> It might have been my kid\u2019s class in particular. I was even more surprised to witness my own kid participate in these acts of excluding others on the playground. We had a phone call with the teacher and echoed the teacher\u2019s language that school should be a safe space for everyone. We were engaged in discussions<\/a> with my kid that I had thought, naively, would come later.

3) Children eat differently at school, among peers.<\/strong> My child is usually a very hesitant eater. As someone who gets a lot of joy from eating, I don\u2019t understand how eating seems like a chore to my child. At home, he does not normally finish his dinner. School lunch and snack boxes came home empty though! So, we learned to pack more food. We also \u2013 just in case \u2013 had a few conversations about NOT sharing food. Sharing is caring, but not when food is involved.<\/a>

4) We should have paid more attention to the final step of toilet training. <\/strong>We were still wiping our kids bum when he started JK. No wonder my kid didn\u2019t want to go to the bathroom anywhere but at home! This led to holding bowel movements for the full day. Poor kid. I\u2019d like to say we started to teach the kid to be independent in that realm right away, but we are still working on it, focusing on this \u2018cheeky hack<\/a>.\u2019 Oh, and on another practical note: practice those buttons and zippers! Luckily, the Senior Kindergarten kids helped my kid that first winter season.

5) It helps to ask questions other than, \u201cHow was your day?\u201d<\/strong> At our house, that question was responded to with a pause, and then, simply, \u201cgood.\u201d \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d Again, a pause. Then, \u201cplay.\u201d We got no information from our child about this mystery world they were part of from 9 am \u2013 5 pm (including after care) each day. We learned to ask more specific questions, like, \u201cWhat was your favourite thing you did today?\u201d or \u201cWho sat at your table with you today?\u201d Here are some other suggested questions<\/a> that might elicit a more descriptive response from your child.

My child is entering Senior Kindergarten this year. I tried to have a talk about setting a good example for the JKs. That seemed like a bit too much pressure, so I backed off. I just hope my kid continues to learn to become an empathetic person alongside their friends, and with the guidance of their teacher. At little interest in learning to read wouldn\u2019t be a bad thing either!

Resources to support your child(ren) in their transition to school:
\u2022 Understood<\/a> is an organization that helps \u201cthose who learn and think differently discover their potentials, take control, find community, and stay on positive paths along each stage of life\u2019s journey.\u201d Check out their article 9 Ways to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten<\/a>
\u2022 Preparing your child for kindergarten continues after they\u2019ve started. This provincial guide<\/a> contains tips for continuing to support your child after they\u2019ve started school.
\u2022 Settlement.org<\/a> is an incredible resource for newcomers. Their website\u2019s Education<\/a> section contains frequently asked questions about navigating Ontario\u2019s school system, including how to access supports for children with different learning needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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