Jack and the Beanstalk

Yesterday, I wrote about my first Kindergarten Home Visit. I wanted to share one of the other things I included in the parent package. This adorable story was also given to me each time one of my own children entered Kindergarten, by their teacher, Ms C. Every time I read it I end up crying, so... brace yourself!!

Author Unknown

Thoughts at the Bottom of a Beanstalk

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb his very first beanstalk. he had a fresh haircut and a brand-new book bag.

Even though his friends in the neighbourhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother.

Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick hom up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed much bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big, too. She swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year...

Jack's mother straightend his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word.

He walked forward, grabbed a low-growing stem and slowly pulled himself up to the first leaf. He balanced there for a moment an then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother.

She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up a the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside.

"Sometimes, " she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves good-bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk."

She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes acted silly when they felt unsure? She fought down an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peek at how he was doing.

"I'd better not. What if he saw me?" She knew Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that, after all this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications.

"It's not so much that I'm worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him."

Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life," she told herself. Today's the day he starts practicing for them... And today's the day I start practicing something too: cheering him on and waving good-bye."

Kindergarten Visits

I am so excited about teaching Kindergarten this year. Today was the start of my home visits. Over the next couple weeks, I will pay a visit to each of my 16 precious students. I just went to see one little guy, today, but the bulk of the visits will happen next week.

The visit lasted about 45 minutes and we did some basic things like counting, naming colours, identifying a few numbers and letters. I had him write his name, tell me a bit about his summer and a little bit about himself (family, how old he is, favourite colour, etc). He was most engrossed in the picture he was drawing for me while I talked to him and asked him questions. Before I left, I took a photo of him to use in a classroom book (I'll take photos of all the kids as I visit them) and had him write his name on a piece of cardstock. The last thing we did before I said goodbye was to fill in a "Countdown to Kindergarten" calendar. Every day until September 10th, when I see him again, he will cross one day off the calendar.

I gave his mom a package of things to read before school starts in a couple weeks. One of the things I included is actually something that I received from my kids' teacher when they were in Kindergarten. My kids are now heading into grades 2, 4 and 5.

Twenty Minutes A Day

By Richard Peck

Read to your children

Twenty minutes a day;

You have the time, 

And so do they.

Read while the laundry is in the machine;

Read while the dinner cooks;

Tuck a child in the crook of your arm 

And reach for the library books.

Hide the remote,

Let the computer games cool,

For one day your children will be off to school:

Remedial? Gifted? You have the choice;

Let them hear the first tales

In the sound of your voice.

Read in the morning;

Read over noon;

Read by the light of

Goodnight Moon.

Turn the pages together,

Sitting close as you'll fit,

Till a small voice beside you says,

 Hey, don't quit. 

* Photo of my mom reading to my son. 

She had all her grandkids around the table, at the time, and was

teaching them a Sunday School lesson.