Looking forward to opening day ~ September 5, 1991

David Heiller

There’s nothing quite as exciting as the first day of school what with butterflies, teddy bears, turtles, and all.

First day of first and second grade.
 Almost bravado.

First those butterflies, the kind that you feel in your mid-section when you do something new, something a little scary and a little exciting too. They swarmed inside of us two years ago, on Noah’s first day in kindergarten, and again last year when he started going full-time and Malika hit kindergarten. Now this year it’s Mollie’s turn for first grade, and we are again nervous. Every year it’s a milestone, carried by a flock of butterflies.

We parents feel the butterflies as we answer the questions of our young. “Did you ever think you would learn to write cursive, Dad?” Noah asked on Sunday night. That’s a weighty question for a second grader.

“No, I never thought I would,” I answered, quite honestly. “I remember thinking it was another language, that it wasn’t even English.” Suddenly the butterflies returned.

“But I learned, because I had a good teacher and tried hard, just like you will, because you have a good teacher and you’re smart,” I continued. Or something like that, Parent Answer Number 23 in The Handbook of Parental Responses to Questions About School, Fourth Edition.

The next day, I cornered Noah. “Why are you worried about writing cursive? That’s not until third grade.”

Malika making cookies.

“I’ll worry about school for every grade,” he answered with a sheepish grin. I suddenly realized that he wasn’t all that worried after all. He was trying his hardest to worry, but excitement was coming on too strong, shooing away the butterflies.

On Monday morning, Mollie grabbed a pen and paper. “I’m not going to be nervous,” she said in a matter-of-fact voice. “How do you write that?”

It seemed like a strange request, but I helped her with the apostrophe in I’m, then wrote out the word going. That was all the farther she got, before her butterflies left too, and she put down the pen and went to watch Sesame Street.

In fact, if you pinned Mollie down, she would admit that she’s more EXCITED about wearing her new stirrup pants, cummerbund, and floral blouse to school than she is nervous.

Her teacher, Mrs. Gentry, has helped. She sent a letter to Mollie last week, telling her to bring a teddy bear on the first day. The letter started: Welcome to first grade! My name is Mrs. Gentry and I will be your teacher. I am so glad you are in my class! That made Mollie feel good, as well as Cindy and me.

Pensive Noah.

Mollie was tickled to get a letter in the mail, especially from her teacher. Moses couldn’t have felt much prouder when he received a note from God on granite stationery, listing the 10 commandments. And Moses must have been a little nervous too.

Noah is also eager, thanks in large part to Shane, his turtle, and his teacher, Mrs. Kephart. She has told him he can bring Shane for the school year, if Noah can figure out how to keep him alive and well and living in Willow River Elementary School. Nothing would make Noah happier than to have his turtle for a classmate this year.

I guess good teachers have a way of cutting off those butterflies at the pass.

TUESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 3: As for us adults, we’ve felt the excitement for at least one more year and one more milestone. We stood outside and felt the butterflies too, as Dave Nyrud pulled up in his bus at 7:08 and the kids disappeared down the road today. Then we walked back into the quiet, empty house a little older and a little wiser, just like the kids. The butterflies are gone until next year.