Moving on up

And just like that, my baby moved from first year kindergarten to second year.  I can't believe that one year ago we were getting ready for his entrance ceremony and first day of school.  The year has flown by.

Although I have never been a parent of a kid in an American kindergarten, I know that there are many differences between the two school systems.  I know the experience varies from school to school.  My son's school is play based.  They focus on working as a group, motor skills, and listening skills.  They don't teach ABCs and 123s.  The kids pick up a lot of those though through learning to read their names and other classroom activities, but it isn't a specific lesson they aim to teach.

Today the older class officially graduated and left for elementary school.  My son's class participated in the ceremony by singing a song and offering words of encouragement to their upperclassmen.  The parents of the younger students waited in a classroom during the ceremony.  When it was over we lined up outside and formed a reception line.  We clapped and cheered as they walked into the next phase of school.

Spring vacation has now begun.  For the next three weeks, my son will be playing and exploring at home instead of school.  I would expect to know more about his upcoming school year, but at this point, we don't even know who his teacher will be.  It is often the case that Japanese teachers stay with the kids from year to year in a certain school, but this isn't always the case.  My son LOVED his teacher this past year, and my husband and I also really liked her.  She was caring, attentive, and really good at her job.  We all really want her to be his teacher next year, but no one can confirm or deny whether she will be or not.  It is the Japanese way.  The teacher's don't even know if they will be at the same school until a week before school starts.  In my American perspective, I find this to be ridiculous.  But none of my Japanese friends even bat an eye about it.  It is just the way it is done.

Normally, I would be preparing my son for all the changes in store, but how can I prepare him when I don't have any answers?

So, for now we will play and go about our business.  I will let him know as much as I do about the details of becoming a second year kindergartener and what I don't know will be left to his imagination.