Sarah and Madeline started school yesterday, Sarah going to the 8th grade and Madeline the 6th, both attending Comfort Middle School.
It took me most of a morning last week to get them registered as new students. Thankfully, Jane had prepared me with a satchel full of documents – each one required to get these two small people a place in their local public school. I’m really not sure how ‘regular’ parents – those without foreknowledge of the hoops to be jumped through – handle that mess.
But registered they were, and ready they were for an adventure – school in a new town.
I was most concerned about Maddee, who seems to be the most sensitive to the potential pitfalls of meeting a whole new group of friends. She had lost some sleep in the week leading up to school opening, and I was glad to see she had a great attitude about getting started as I dropped her off. It seems to have worked, because she came home joyfully spouting more names than I could keep track of.
Sarah – always a bit more quiet and self-contained than Madeline, though probably just as anxious – already had at least one friend in her grade. She met Karley through a church youth group over the summer, and Karley had been Sarah’s guest at Six Flags the week before, so I was confident she’d not be too lonely. Like Maddee, Sarah was raring to go, and practically jumped out of the car. She, too, came home with interesting stories of new friends.
We live just a few blocks from the school, and once things settle in, they’ll walk or ride bicycles every day. Add this to the list of places – Oma’s house, the library, the candy store, the ‘Super S’ grocery – that the girls can go without help and with minimal supervision – it’s quite nice.
The school itself is the same one in which Jane attended High School (she’s teaching in her old Math room,) and the name Comfort High School is still spelled out in brass letters above he main entrance. It is built from the sand-colored local limestone that makes so many Hill Country buildings look as if they were rising directly from the earth. It is surprisingly modern and efficient – at least when compared to my visions of a rural, one-room, little-house-on-the prairie school. The new high school is ‘out on the highway’ on a gigantic parcel of land that in most states would be ludicrous to set aside for a school, but is pretty normal in rural Texas. I’m looking forward to seeing a Friday night football game (once – I’m pretty sure the thrill of that will be short-lived) in the stadium that looks impossibly large.
I find myself strangely pleased that Sarah will be participating in ‘athletics’ – a term I’ve only heard in Texas for a class that really is preparation for team play in a particular sport. It takes the place of general ‘Phys-Ed’, and I think taking part in an organized sport (we think she’s chosen Volleyball) will be good for Sarah, who tends to work and play alone (like her daddy, I guess.)
Jane also had her first day. She is just a couple of days shy of an official offer to take over the sixth grade language arts position at Comfort Middle (by law, the job must be publicly posted for ten days, but she’s a shoo-in.) She says with pride that she’s “Comfort’s Mr. Echols” [Chattanooga friends will understand] and I think she’ll enjoy this post until something more ‘dramatic’ comes along.
She had a rough start. She expects others to behave the way she would with a new recruit – to drop in on her and be sure she has what she needs. Apparently the other teachers were too busy to make her feel very welcome, and that hit her hard. She was a little surprised and somewhat comforted when I reminded her that she hardly gives the impression of being someone in need of help. Now that the kids are in class, she’ll get into the rhythm pretty quickly, I think.
So, with the family in school, I’m now in my second day at home alone. There’s still plenty to do to after the quick move, so I’m sure I’ll be able to stay busy. Today’s task is sorting out the boxes that got put in the utility closet and never left there. I’m also responsible for twice-weekly trips to the local stand where, for 30 cents a gallon, you can buy professionally filtered drinking water that beats the heck out of what comes from the tap. Those of you with good tap water should be VERY thankful.
I’m off to it.
