First day of Preschool!!!

W-O-W!!! What a difference a year makes!  Forgive me as I am very emotional writing this blog post!  Last year around this time we enrolled Brody in a 3 year old preschool program that ended up being a huge mistake.  I have spent the last year heartbroken over the way he was treated and as a teacher myself having a hard time digesting why this teacher was still teaching.  I network with a lot of Mom's and have come to find out Brody was not the only little boy this teacher has treated this way. Come to find out I ended up having two boys she kicked out of her class in my own classroom without knowing they had been kicked out prior to coming to my room and these two boys I never had one problem with when I taught them (we chose to pull Brody but these children were kicked out by her).  As a seasoned educator of preschool children I have to say if you don't have the patience for active 3, 4 and 5 year old little boys, you are in the wrong profession!!  Enough on the negative, let's move on to the positive!

We continue to see daily changes in Brody from speech to behavior to overall character building and well being.  Our son is growing up before our eyes and everyday we see him mature more and more.  Last fall he was not ready for preschool.  Tim and I both knew it but I think we both thought that since he was 3 he had to go.  Lucky for us we were able to pull him out and since I am home with our kids we were able to give him more time to grow up at home.  I continued our weekly classes and added in museum and zoo trips.  It is amazing once you start talking to people that you find so many that have had the same struggles as you when you feel all alone.  I have met so many parents of little boys who faced preschool struggles with teacher's, held their kids back a year before sending them to Kindergarten and now you would never know by looking at the child.  It is also amazing how many parent's have kids with speech issues as well!  Even my amazing doctor that delivered both my kids has a son with a significant speech delay.  It is now proven 1 in 5 kids has some sort of speech difficulty.

I have been told so many times as a teacher what a difference I have made in a child's life.  I don't think you really take into account how true that is until you become a parent yourself.  What a difference St. Alphonsus has made not only in our son's life but ours as well!!  It is amazing what the right teacher can do for a child. Tim and I knew all along that all Brody needed was the right person to show him the way.  It is very hard for a little boy to go into a new environment when he has never been away from his Mom and expect him to do things he has never done before.  We are very structured at home, don't get me wrong, but going into an environment full of new toys and kids would make it hard for any little one to sit still!

These past few months that he has been attending school have been so great for him.  He had a few rocky days at the beginning as he learned a routine and what was expected of him but that is true for any child learning in a new environment.  My first intention was to keep him in the 3/4 year old room for this year and then move him into the structured 4 year old preschool when he turns 5 since we are waiting a year to send him to Kindergarten.  We sent Brody over the summer to the summer program to keep the consistency for him since he did not start going there until April.  In mid July the teacher pulled me aside and said she really thought I should move him up to pre K in the fall.  I was hesitant, and most of that stems from the horrible experience we had last fall.  I talked to my sister Melissa and Tim and I talked about it and we all decided we should try it to see how it went.  I did not plan on moving him up until today because this was the first official day of preschool.  3 weeks ago I dropped him off and when I came back to get him he was in the pre K room.  When I asked why they said he had asked if he could go there.  So he has been in there every since and it has been going great!!  Each day I pick him up I get excellent reports and he is so happy!  I remember telling Tim last fall that I just longed for the day I would pick him up and not be told he wouldn't sit down, or he did this or that, but that I would be told he had a great day.  Now I get that everyday!! :)  He is doing so fantastic, I just couldn't be happier!  We are so very proud of our little boy, he continues to amaze us each and every day!