I Passed Kindergarten!
After months of negotiations amidthe raging virus that is Covid-19 my husband and I finally managed to arrange atrip north to see our kids and grandchildren. Endless debates preceded thisdecision. Driving versus flying; howlong to stay; and where to stay. Chicagois a two-day trip from Orlando so we decided to fly Southwest Airlines. Middleseats were vacant and studies (probably paid for by the airline industry) maintainedplanes were safer than grocery stores (a persuasive argument considering howmuch time we now spend in Publix.)
Regardless of airline promises we bought K95 masks (nary an N95 to be found), face shields, and disposable gloves. A Covid test was required (by our son paranoid we would bring the virus along with us) and a subsequent quarantine. We were ready!
We suspected our fifteen-day staycould not really be deemed a vacation. We were on a rescue mission. Our kids were exhausted. They had been running their tele-therapybusiness from their home office, acting as teaching assistants for virtualkindergarten, and maintaining some kind of semblance of a household. Maria, the part-time nanny has provenindispensible to their survival. Shetook the two weeks of our stay off not wanting to compromise her health bybeing around toxic Floridians.
Thus began our short-term career aschild minders and teaching assistants. Previoustrips have afforded me child-minding experience but it has been a long timesince I had to do kindergarten assignments.
I was the consummate guest arriving each morning at 9:00am accompanied by Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brews for the adults and cake pops for afternoon kid treats (we opted for a hotel stay since “our” room had been converted to a classroom.) Seated in my child-sized chair, Maya would sign on to Zoom for her Morning Circle session.
Thus began the school day consisting of thirty-minute sessions interspersed with short pauses for potty breaks and work assignments. I was a nervous wreck, constantly glued to my color-coded schedule.
There were so many good parts. Pappy, a/k/a grandfather Jim, was enlisted as Ru’s personal playmate. A giant Hot Wheels T-Rex Ultimate Garage equipped with a car-eating dinosaur occupied much of their day along with dodge ball in the backyard bouncy house.
I was a fly on the wall observing my five year old granddaughter mute and unmute herself participating with eight others in a kindergarten experience I barely recognized. I was privy to her classroom insights as she occasionally rolled her eyes, talking out of one side of her mouth (a facial expression I’ve seen from her mother on many occasions) commenting, “Abby and Emily like to talk a lot!” Her spot on analysis and conscientious behavior was so reminiscent of her perceptive parents. I was filled with pride as she grasped concepts like more than and less than in her ST Math independent sessions. But it is hard! Teachers post assignments and schedule Zoom sessions on an app called Seesaw. I felt like I was on a seesaw trying to figure out what button would take me to which assignment.
Monday (after work) my husband andI took our leave for a flight back to Florida. Many tears followed but also some humor as I said to my daughter-in-law,“Katie, after two weeks I’ve nailed this kindergarten thing!” “Now you really get me Liz Kitchens,” shereplied.”
It was an honor to share burdensthat felt as light as clouds. We celebratedthree occasions during our visit. Ru’s fourth birthday; a presidential win; andan early Thanksgiving complete with Campbell’s Green bean casserole and aHoosier Mama’s chicken pot pie (a local pie company in Evanston).
Flying home I felt a surprisingly large weight lift from my shoulders. I felt free (as one can be on an airplane) to read, play digital Euchre, or nap. But nestled there between my ribs was a warm contentment from sharing so much love.
