First Day of Fourth Grade

Dear Lila,

The last time you stepped foot inside of a school building was March 13, 2020. You finished your second grade year from home. Then you completed your entire third grade year from home. That's not something any one of us could have envisioned two years ago and I was so sad about the experiences that you had missed but you actually really loved remote schooling. Learning from the comfort of your own bedroom was definitely a lot less rigorous and you enjoyed being able to spend time with your siblings and me in between Google Meets. So when we learned that there would be no remote option this year and that every kid would be back in the physical school building, you had mixed emotions. You were excited to see your friends every day but you were sad about not staying home. And you were also not psyched about waking up super early again. When your alarm went off at 6:35am this morning, you actually cried and said it was too early! And when we lined up outside of your school, you were visibly nervous and admitted that you had butterflies in your stomach.

After school, though, your demeanor was the complete opposite. You came home with a big smile on your face and said you had had a great first day. You told me about your teacher, where your seat was and new friends you made. You were so happy and talked excitedly the entire afternoon and evening about everything that had happened! To be honest, I am really nervous about you and your siblings being back in school (especially with the Delta variant and cases on the rise) but I am also really happy that you have some sense of normalcy again and that you are back with your teachers and classmates where you should be.

Also, you told me two things about today that made me really proud of you:

1) When you entered your classroom in the morning, you had to pick your seat. You saw your two best friends at a table all the way in the back of the classroom but you chose to sit at the front table so that you would be able to see the teacher better "without everyone's heads in the way."

2) Due to Covid protocols, only one kid at each table can eat a time. That rule makes sense because only one kid will have his/her mask off but that rule is also incredibly cruel because hello? That last kid has to watch all the other kids at the table eat one after another before he/she can! It's torture! You said you felt so bad for the girl who had to eat after you that you scarfed down your lunch quickly so that she could eat sooner. Thank you for always being so thoughtful!

Love,

Mom