The Bus
If you've been reading this for a while you'll know that I had some concerns about sending Darcy to school on the bus. In the end we decided to go with the bus and on the whole I still think we made the right decision. Some of the things I was concerned about are starting to happen though.
Darcy's bus rides are nearly as long as the time she spends in school. That really lengthens her day. She's gone from 11:45 - 4:15 which seems like a long day for a 4-year old. Of course most school districts are doing full days for Kindergarten so I guess that's not much of a concern for anyone but me! Her friend Quinn was falling asleep on the bus ride home some days (once we had to get on the bus to wake him up!) but the farther we get into the school year, that doesn't seem to be happening anymore.
She's often coming home with stories about things that happen on the bus and these are the things that concern me the most. One girl pushed Darcy off her chair because the other girl wanted to sit with Quinn that day. Another time a boy spat in her face! She's also full of stories of big boys calling other kids bad names. Quinn's Mom and I were talking about it yesterday when we were waiting for the bus at the end of the day and it seems she's been hearing a lot of the same stuff from Quinn. Then when the bus got there the kids got off and Quinn looked at him Mom and said, "Loser!" That seemed to be the new word he picked up on the bus yesterday. His Mom had a little chat with him, letting him know she doesn't like hearing him talk like that so hopefully that's the end of the loser talk at their house.
We had to take Darcy to the school before the school year even started for a bus safety day where they learned all the rules of the bus. Then one day a couple of weeks ago she was telling me about a friend of hers sharing her snack with Darcy on the bus. I reminded Darcy that eating on the bus is against the rules. She responded with, "It's OK, the bus driver didn't see us." She seems to be learing quickly that rules can be broken if the authority figure doesn't catch you (she has also responded to me, when I'm trying to point out something wrong she's doing, "That's OK, Daddy's not here.").
So we're learning quickly that not all of her learning is done in the classroom! She seems to be handling it well for the most part. For example, when the girl pushed Darcy out of her seat, Darcy said she just went back and sat where she was. That's it, Darcy! Don't let yourself get pushed around.
Darcy's bus rides are nearly as long as the time she spends in school. That really lengthens her day. She's gone from 11:45 - 4:15 which seems like a long day for a 4-year old. Of course most school districts are doing full days for Kindergarten so I guess that's not much of a concern for anyone but me! Her friend Quinn was falling asleep on the bus ride home some days (once we had to get on the bus to wake him up!) but the farther we get into the school year, that doesn't seem to be happening anymore.
She's often coming home with stories about things that happen on the bus and these are the things that concern me the most. One girl pushed Darcy off her chair because the other girl wanted to sit with Quinn that day. Another time a boy spat in her face! She's also full of stories of big boys calling other kids bad names. Quinn's Mom and I were talking about it yesterday when we were waiting for the bus at the end of the day and it seems she's been hearing a lot of the same stuff from Quinn. Then when the bus got there the kids got off and Quinn looked at him Mom and said, "Loser!" That seemed to be the new word he picked up on the bus yesterday. His Mom had a little chat with him, letting him know she doesn't like hearing him talk like that so hopefully that's the end of the loser talk at their house.
We had to take Darcy to the school before the school year even started for a bus safety day where they learned all the rules of the bus. Then one day a couple of weeks ago she was telling me about a friend of hers sharing her snack with Darcy on the bus. I reminded Darcy that eating on the bus is against the rules. She responded with, "It's OK, the bus driver didn't see us." She seems to be learing quickly that rules can be broken if the authority figure doesn't catch you (she has also responded to me, when I'm trying to point out something wrong she's doing, "That's OK, Daddy's not here.").
So we're learning quickly that not all of her learning is done in the classroom! She seems to be handling it well for the most part. For example, when the girl pushed Darcy out of her seat, Darcy said she just went back and sat where she was. That's it, Darcy! Don't let yourself get pushed around.
posted by Sue Matthews at 2:52 PM
3 Comments:
How interesting that she thinks Nick is the authority figure.
Sue, this is where child-rearing gets interesting. So much goes on when we're not around to protect them. It's so hard sometimes. And heartbreaking. I've cried numerous times during Kolina's school years. The best lesson to teach Darcy is to stick up for herself. Kids have to be tough these days and if other kids know Darcy can't be pushed around, it will be so much easier for her. She sounds like a real little character, I loved reading this entry!
Unfortunately we can protect these little ones at home, but once they leave the confines of home, they are subjected to all sorts of things we would never dream of. What you can hope for is that the teachings you have instilled in them will weather the outside influences. If you were a little bug on the wall you would probably find that it is not just on the bus that there are untoward things going on. Lots and lots of good things happen, too, that will have lasting impressions on Darcy as she grows up.
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