Mass-ive Changes
The biggest adjustment of our daughter going to kindergarten has nothing to do with a new schedule. It has nothing to do with a new school. And it has nothing to do with new teachers or new friends.
The biggest adjustment is that she is going to a Catholic school.
And we aren't Catholic.
Hell, I'm not even a Christian (I'm more or less a Humanist). And issues like prayer and teaching Creationism in school and restoring the Pledge of Allegiance are things I can get very worked up about. We have been attending a Unitarian-Universalist church since our daughter was born. And while we voluntarily enrolled her in a Catholic school, we had little choice.
The public school she would have attended was 15 miles away from our house (and 22 miles out of town) and would have meant a 45 minute bus ride every morning. We would have to enroll her in the after-school program due to our work schedules, which would mean almost an hour drive every day to pick her up and bring her home. So instead, we opted for the private Catholic school in town. The cost is less than half of what day care used to cost for her, so it just seemed like the best choice for everyone.
Still, it is a big adjustment for our family. Last spring we took her to vist the kindergarten classroom to get a taste of what it would be like. I knew it was a Catholic school, but for some reason when I watched them start the morning with a prayer, I was momentarily stunned. And we learned that each Friday the whole school attends Mass as part of the school day. I don't know what I was expecting or why any of this should surprise me - it all just seemed so foreign and somehow inappropriate to me.
Then, after her second day of kindergarten, we asked her what she did today. She said "I know how to genuflect".
I don't know what was most surprising: that a 5 year old could so easily pronounce "genuflect", that she learned it in school, or that I realized I didn't really know what it meant. Boy, do I have a lot to learn about kindergarten.
Still, I realize this is all OK. It will be good to expose her to other religious traditions. After all, the religious education she receives in our church draws from a variety of teachings and cultures, both secular and spiritual. My wife jokes that after 5 days a week of Catholic school, Sundays will be sort of like "reprogramming". But it isn't like I can tell her "Pay attention to your teacher and listen to what she teaches you in class... except for some of that stuff about God and Jesus and praying and sin and..."
But the important thing is, these hang-ups are mine, not my daughter's. The school and her teacher both have a great reputation, and I'm sure she will gain a valuable education, make lots of friends and have fun. And maybe Dad will pick up a few lessons along the way.
The biggest adjustment is that she is going to a Catholic school.
And we aren't Catholic.
Hell, I'm not even a Christian (I'm more or less a Humanist). And issues like prayer and teaching Creationism in school and restoring the Pledge of Allegiance are things I can get very worked up about. We have been attending a Unitarian-Universalist church since our daughter was born. And while we voluntarily enrolled her in a Catholic school, we had little choice.
The public school she would have attended was 15 miles away from our house (and 22 miles out of town) and would have meant a 45 minute bus ride every morning. We would have to enroll her in the after-school program due to our work schedules, which would mean almost an hour drive every day to pick her up and bring her home. So instead, we opted for the private Catholic school in town. The cost is less than half of what day care used to cost for her, so it just seemed like the best choice for everyone.
Still, it is a big adjustment for our family. Last spring we took her to vist the kindergarten classroom to get a taste of what it would be like. I knew it was a Catholic school, but for some reason when I watched them start the morning with a prayer, I was momentarily stunned. And we learned that each Friday the whole school attends Mass as part of the school day. I don't know what I was expecting or why any of this should surprise me - it all just seemed so foreign and somehow inappropriate to me.
Then, after her second day of kindergarten, we asked her what she did today. She said "I know how to genuflect".
I don't know what was most surprising: that a 5 year old could so easily pronounce "genuflect", that she learned it in school, or that I realized I didn't really know what it meant. Boy, do I have a lot to learn about kindergarten.
Still, I realize this is all OK. It will be good to expose her to other religious traditions. After all, the religious education she receives in our church draws from a variety of teachings and cultures, both secular and spiritual. My wife jokes that after 5 days a week of Catholic school, Sundays will be sort of like "reprogramming". But it isn't like I can tell her "Pay attention to your teacher and listen to what she teaches you in class... except for some of that stuff about God and Jesus and praying and sin and..."
But the important thing is, these hang-ups are mine, not my daughter's. The school and her teacher both have a great reputation, and I'm sure she will gain a valuable education, make lots of friends and have fun. And maybe Dad will pick up a few lessons along the way.
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