A Day in the Life...

Throughout school teachers had always joked with me about my handwriting. They often told me, “Mark, you need to go back to kindergarten and learn how to write.” I simply dismissed their remarks as mere threats. Boy was I wrong.

One brisk winter morning Miss Evans approached me and informed me that I was no longer allowed in her class until I went back to kindergarten for a day. Oh, and she told me to write an article about my experience. So, I grabbed my backpack and scooted on over to Mrs. Coopers class.

Both excited and terrified, I opened the door. Despite my rather unusual size for a kindergartener, Mrs. Cooper welcomed me as one of her own. After hanging my backpack up on the rack, I pulled up a chair, sat down next to the blocks, and got to work building an awesome plane. Jake Rodriguez looked up at his new classmate puzzled.
Five minutes later, the bell rang and everyone rushed to their seats. The first business of the day was role and the months and days of the year. Then we repeated our letters and numbers. I looked up at the clock in eager anticipation of recess, but there was one activity left, our writing.

We received our papers and we got started on the letter N. Any self-confidence I had brought with me to school that day was destroyed at that moment. I don’t know whether it was Mrs. Cooper’s flawless handwriting or the fact that my N failed in comparison to all of the other kindergarteners, including four year old Mya Lyon, but I just seemed to fall short. Mrs. Cooper, fighting off the urge to laugh at me, was quick to encourage me to try again. So I resolved to do it better and I’m glad to say I was successful, well…after a few tries anyways.

Morning recess finally saved me from the endless frustration of handwriting. The rest of the day was fun as well. I made new friends, played tag, and even got some nap time in. Then we ended the day with a Thanksgiving party.

I had always wondered why Mrs. Cooper loved teaching kindergarten for so long. But after spending only one day in that class I know why. Those kids are the most loving and fun kids on campus. I see them every day and they still give me a hug. Unfortunately for Miss Evans my handwriting isn’t much better, but my N’s are perfect.