What A Difference a Year Makes

The sweet, little preschool where we send our children does something I had never heard of until we moved to this city. It's called a "Cooperative Preschool," and it's actually quite common where we live. It's something unique that I used to think was kind of crazy, but I've actually grown to love it.

We parents are required to spend one day each month working in the classroom, alongside the teacher. When Chip and Trixie were preschoolers, I always had other babies at home, so I couldn't be a Co-op parent. I was the only loser "Independent" mom in the class. We had to pay extra tuition not to help in the classroom. Trixie and Chip didn't have the benefit of their mama ever being there for circle time or field trips or Show and Tell. Sad, I know.

Many other children also had little sibs at home, but they tended to have grandparents or close friends nearby to baby-sit, so their parents could work in the classroom. We were new to this town when we found our little school, and so we just went the Independent route. The kids were used to it, and I didn't really have the option to feel too guilty about it.

By the time Number 4 was ready for school, there was no reason I couldn't be a Co-op parent. I would finally have my turn to be a parent helper! I could finally see every detail of my little boy's day, from drop-off to pick-up, and everything in-between. I would be there for it all! Yay for us!!!

My first year as a Co-op parent was definitely a wake-up call. Spending a full morning with thirteen three-year-olds had its share of adorable moments and those I'd rather forget. Until I was in the trenches, I never could have imagined all that nose picking.

What I loved about being a Co-op parent was spending time guiding all of the children, not just my own. It's actually not possible to walk into the building expecting to dote on our own kids. We go in as an assistant to the teacher with very specific goals in place for the day. While I carried out my parent helper duties, I found myself growing attached to all of the other little tots: the boys and girls who were sharing their first school experiences with my Marshall. My school teaching days were long behind me, but once a month, I could experience a little snippet of them through my parent helper turns, with the added twist of my maternal instincts.

Marshall and I just finished up our first Co-op day together for his second year of preschool. It was really fun to see all the familiar faces from last year, and some new ones who started school for the first time this Fall. I was astonished at how much has changed since the beginning of school just one year ago.

Last September, those teeny little three-year-olds never had been away from their parents.

They didn't have a clue how to find their cubbies or nametags.

Some had probably just learned to use the potties at home, and suddenly they were going all alone in the big school toilet.

Sitting down on the carpet for circle time? Forget it!

Washing hands, lining up, having snack and drink...all required lots of guidance.

This September, the children are obviously so much older and wiser. I'm so proud of my own son and the strides he has made, but I'm also proud of all the little ones I have watched blossom during the past year.

Not seeing them over the summer, and then working with them all morning was kind of surreal. They were still the same munchkins, but they suddenly exhibited a big kid confidence. I noticed the growth spurts in these four-year-olds right away. I noticed their increased independence and progressions in speech. The kids I worked with last year were comfortable at school and talked with me quite a bit. I observed that they had already made friends with the new students and adjusted to their new teacher with ease.

When the day was finished, and the kids' had exercised their fine-motor skills to the fullest, I set down my broom for a brief moment. I smiled proudly as they walked down the stairs, in a straight line and out the door to the playground.

The veterans and the newbies.

They'll all be masters of Four-school before I know it.

I am thankful that I will have this one last year to be a Co-op parent, watching Marshall and all his classmates grow together before they enter that big and very real world of Kindergarten.

I found myself feeling a little sad for never having the opportunity to experience these moments with my other children. They went to preschool without their mama ever in the building with them. They were Independent right from the start. I wasn't able see the drastic transformation in them like I did in the preschool kids today, but I know it did happen.

Wow, did it ever. 

 

 

How do the preschools work where you live?