Kindergarten Memories

August 15, 2006, will go down as a landmark date in the Campbell family...as Robin and I trot our oldest son off to school. Monday evening Elijah, Robin, and I went to "Meet The Teacher" night at Taylor Elementary. We found his room and anxiously bounded in to see what Kindergarten looks like.

It didn't take long to figure out who the teachers were. They were the young ladies with the big, genuine smiles reaching from ear to ear sweetly greeting each little boy and girl as they entered the room. Elijah actually has two teachers - they alternate days in order to spend more time at home with their families. Pretty cool, I thought.

While Elijah and his mommy began the Scavenger Hunt to get acclimated to the room, I began reading some of the material left for the parents. I was ecstatic to see that both teachers remarked that they had been praying for each of their students.

It's going to be a great year!

As I watched Elijah move around the room, finding his seat, checking out the different centers to learn and play in, I rushed back 30-something years ago to my days in Kindergarten. What an exciting time. I felt all grown up...and it's amazing how much I remember from so long ago. Some of the things I remember...

- Sadly, I don't remember much about my first day of school. I DO remember mom wanting to walk me into the room and trying to hang around for a long time...and I remember turning around and telling her she needed to leave.

-Carla Beggs was a 5th grader who went to the same church I did. She was a "Courtesy Girl" - a group of girls that would hold the doors open for students in the morning. My mom always dropped me off at her door...and when I would walk into school she would hold the door open for me and kiss me on the cheek. Technically, I guess that was my first crush.

-At nap time, me and a kid named Chris Johnson used to thump spitwads at each other instead of sleeping. One day, we were evidently causing too much commotion...and our teacher came over and smacked Chris on the bottom. I instantly squeezed my eyes shut and played possum...fully expecting to get whacked as well. But it never happened.

-My teacher was Ms LaGrone. Not exactly the name you expect from a Kindergarten teacher. She was about 130 years old and retired after that school year. I guess I was enough to make any teacher quit.

-I got carted off to the office one day with Ross Bonnett and Sam Gandee. I can't remember why we were there...but I remember Ross crying and crying because he just new we were going to get a whoopin'. About the time Ms LaGrone corralled us all in there, the Principal, Mr Bryant, was taking two fifth graders into his office. They had been in a fight and looked pretty rough. About the time Ms LaGrone turned to leave, you could hear four sharp WHACKS come from the office followed by some sniffling and muffled crying. Mr Bryant, who seemed like he was 8-ft tall, came waltzing out of his office, crouched down to eye-level with all three of us, and said, "Am I gonna have to do that to one of you...or can I expect you to behave." Ross just kept crying while Sam and I vigorously shook our heads and said, "Yes sir" in unison.

There were a bunch of other things I remember...but I won't bog you down with those now.

I just check the Vegas odds on how Tuesday morning will go. Here they are:

2-1: Only Mommy will cry when dropping off Elijah
30-1: Only Elijah will cry when being dropped off
100-1: Only Daddy will cry when dropping off Elijah
150-1: Mommy and Daddy will both cry when dropping off Elijah
18-1: Elijah and Mommy will cry
33-1: Elijah and Daddy will cry
488-1: Elijah, Mommy and Daddy all will cry
1-1: Daddy will remain the rock of the family...until he gets to a nice, quiet place where no one is watching...and then he might just get a little misty-eyed.

Place your bets!!!