Completely Unaffiliated Spring Celebration in Kindergarten

We kicked off the Easter Weekend with a traditional Non-Easter Party in Kindergarten, complete with bunny ears, bunny face painting, and egg hunting.

Courtney and her BFF, Maddie NOT celebrating Easter at school.

Courtney being silly with the craft supplies used to create completely random eggs, chicks, and bunnies. No funny holiday goings-on in this classroom...

I love this picture. In my humble opinion, it completely captures who Courtney is. It tells a complicated, bittersweet story of simplicity all in one single frame.

You need some background information: The young man in the red is a second grader with extreme emotional issues. From what I have gathered (probably WAY more than I should know, but every time I am in the classroom the adults that work with this boy, and there are MANY, make a point to seek me out as "Courtney's Mom." The first time I was there when he came to "visit" their classroom, Courtney's teacher yelled from across the room to the accompanying adult, "HEY, MRS. _______, COURTNEY"S MOM IS HERE TODAY" and then Mrs. _______ was instantly by my side most certainly breaking all kinds of confidentiality with the best intentions at heart.) Seems this boy has been, in the words of Mrs. _______, "abused and mistreated in ways that make up your nightmares." Apparently part of his daily program is to "earn" time to visit the Kindergarten classroom, where Courtney's teacher (an angel!) has agreed to welcome him in and provide a safe atmosphere for him for short amounts of "reward" time. Some Fridays when I help out in the classroom, he doesn't show, and then on those days I usually see him in the fetal position on the floor in the office as I walk out of the building. Other days he comes in with an adult. Most recently I have noticed that he comes unaccompanied more often (although if you look closely you will always see an adult lurking outside the classroom door, peeking in with a walkie talkie in hand ready to radio for help if needed.) Lately he seems to stay longer and he seems more at ease. I have interacted with him a few times and although sweet, I couldn't help but notice the obvious "emptiness" in his eyes when I talked with him. This does not seem to be the case when Courtney talks/plays/works with him. I've had the pleasure of watching the two of them many a Friday morning. If he enters the room during circle time, he always squishes his bottom in between others onto the rug next to Courtney. Sometimes he doesn't make it 5 minutes and off he has to go, escorted out of the room by an adult. Other times, if the children are already engaged in their "stations" he wanders around the room, but he usually ends up at Courtney's station playing next to her and along side the others. Courtney mentioned his name at dinner once, and since Christopher is a second grader, he knew of him and immediately said, "He has A LOT of problems." Courtney looked at her brother with a puzzled look and said, "Not to me. And besides, he tries hard not to have them." When I watch the two of them interact I find it fascinating. She doesn't "mother hen" him as I think many a young girl might take on as a role with a troubled boy. She doesn't let him get his way, I witnessed her take a shovel right out of his hands at the sand table one time and I was ready to leap in had it gone bad, but nope, they just kept on playing. She doesn't seek him out or even talk non-stop to him, she just seems to play and learn along side him. And he along side her. In this picture you see them working together to get a twist tie fastened to the top of his non-Easter treat bag. What you don't see is the few minutes before I snapped the shot. You don't see him struggling with it for a minute or two or the adult making a b-line to try to help him before frustration sets in. You don't see her stopping dead in her tracks a few feet behind him when she hears him grumble, "Courtney, can you please help me with this?" You just see two kids working together.

She is gentle that way, and by the sounds of it, he could use a whole lot of gentle that way. I can't help but think of the line from the Martina McBride song when I look at this picture, "I see who I want to be, in my daughter's eyes..."

You might THINK you are looking at 16 Easter bunnies, but you are mistaken. These are actually 16 Pink-Eared Cottontails, a rare form of rabbit found only in the deepest boroughs of Kindergarten classrooms, er...I mean Canadian forests.

Getting ready to go home for the weekend sporting an APRIL Bonnet and whiskers.

Happy 2nd Sunday of April to you and your family!