The yearly ritual of open house, where students and their parents get the opportunity to meet their new homeroom teacher and see their new classroom happened tonight.  I’ve participated in the ritual from a couple of points of view, as a parent, many years ago, and as a teacher.  In both situations, the children in question tend to nervously peek into the room to check things out and tentatively introduce themselves to the new teacher.  There are the few on either end of the spectrum as well, who either hide behind their parent or immediately begin running around the room, completely at home wherever they are.

Tonight I had quite a few current students just pop in just to say hi and critique the room decor.  Some came in with younger siblings to show them around the room and explain how things run from their perspective.  However, most of my time was spent introducing myself to new Kindergartners.  “Hi, I’m Mrs. Bush and this is the music room!” as I put out my hand to shake theirs.  Most of the kids tonight actually gave me the correct hand to shake, however a few students wouldn’t let go of their parents long enough to use the correct hand and that was ok.  They look up at you, assessing whether or not you’re going to be an ok adult to be with and I spend my time trying to find the right thing to say so that I can see their eyes light up and their faces relax some.

Like the little guy hiding behind his little sibling’s stroller wearing a Star Wars shirt.  I shared with him that I loved Star Wars, that it was my favorite movie.  He immediately looked up to see if I was telling he truth and, believing I was, began to tell me all about his Star Wars backpack and his Star Wars bedroom – you get the picture.  We’ll be big buds, I just know.  There was one little guy who was especially uncomfortable, so I asked him if he was nervous.  He said yes, and I told him that it was ok to be nervous when you were doing something new.  His little face looked at mine and his eyes asked “really?”.  Yes, even adults get nervous when they’re doing something new and it’s ok.  He smiled a shy smile and his parents said thank you.  And that’s the idea, isn’t it?

Parents are trusting us, especially those first time parents, to take care of the child that has been all theirs for the past five years.  This is precious cargo for them and they want to know that the people they leave their child with on a daily basis will not only teach them, but love them, reassure them, and give them a safe place to call a second home.  So after I spent almost two hours greeting parents and students, I left to attend a second open house, this time for my grandson.

This was a first for me.  I’ve been the parent and the teacher, but never the grandma.  I came dashing in late and he had already checked out his new classroom, but he was excited to show me, so while mom and dad were taking care of lunch accounts and turning in forms, I was taken down the hall, hand in hand, to meet his new teacher.  I found myself watching this teacher as she talked with him, along with his specialist teachers we spoke with, to make sure that they were genuinely interested in this child, the child that has become so precious to me. The child who is going to need some extra love, patience and understanding so that he will begin to trust adults again.

I don’t want the excitement I saw in my grandson to be squelched because he gets too excited for other to handle sometimes.  I remember being so excited to go back to school each year – nervous, but excited, because school was a safe place for me too.  This is a child who has expressed an interest in teaching.  A perfect career for someone who understands the hardship of life at such a young age and yet has persevered, someone who is loving and kind at heart who might one day have the opportunity to serve others, just like I hope his teachers do for him this year.  And one day, I might hear him say, “Hi, my name is Mr. Bush and this is my classroom”.