Refresher Course

I went to Kindergarten today. Booie returned to school for the first time in over a month, and I stayed with her to help her adjust and make sure she didn't need any additional help. She did fine and even walked a little bit around the room. I think she was thrilled to be back in class with all her friends. She was getting bored at home, and I was running out of things to do that didn't involve the TV or computer. She made it back just in time to attend the Valentine (or Friendship as it's called here) Party tomorrow.

I've never sat through an entire class for either of my kids. I've only visited, and usually those visits were for special things, so I never got to see class in action. Of course, I have no memory of my own Kindergarten class other than the snake when I wasn't afraid of snakes or being told by another student I couldn't color a girl's hair blue. I never even got to finish Kindergarten, because we moved to Guam. It's not like my own Kindergarten experience would be much like today's anyway. I'm surprised by how much information many schools cover in Kindergarten now.

Today, the kids learned how to make a capital H and what sound it makes. They were also learning about coin values and telling time. Each kid gets a turn on the computer where they learn more about letters and sounds and grouping and all sorts of things. By the end of the year, the kids will be able to write all their letters and numbers and read something like 100 words. In my day, we colored and played a lot. Things are a lot different now.

The most interesting thing about the class is watching the kids. Most haven't fully mastered proper classroom behavior (like older kids ever do), so they wander around, talk out of turn and get off the subject. Every kid seems to have something to say, even the shy ones. When asked if any of them have cats, several raised their hands, and the ones who didn't ended up sharing something about cats they knew. We got to hear lots of extra information too like the names of the cats, what color they were and if there were other animals. It takes a lot of time to do anything, because the kids have so much to share.

At their age, the kids aren't afraid to approach someone who's disabled. They are more curious and helpful, not yet encumbered by manners and awkwardness that adults acquire. Booie won't always be in a wheelchair, and her disabilities aren't permanent, but the kids don't know that. They just know she might need a little extra help and every one of them is willing to offer it. It's very touching. I wish we never reached a point where we felt uncomfortable around the handicapped.

This whole experience with Booie in a wheelchair has really opened my eyes to how difficult it is to be handicapped in this world. Store aisles seem to shrink, steps seem bigger and the elevator is never convenient. Our first day out, we had trouble getting into the mall because a man parked his car right in front of the wheelchair ramp onto the sidewalk. I give the guy credit though. He did move when he realized where he was. Some people wouldn't do that.

When we got inside, I couldn't take Booie hardly anywhere with me in the infant's department because the clothing racks were so close together I had to turn sideways in some places to fit through myself. Her wheelchair isn't even as wide as an adult wheelchair, and we were still very limited in where we could go. Going to the bathroom qualified as an adventure, even with the handicap stalls.

Nothing was easy. I realize that's part of being disabled, but even some little changes could make life a whole lot easier. Just following laws already in place would help immensely as would a little common courtesy. But courtesy seems to be in short supply these days. Just ask the guy that barged onto the elevator before we were even able to get off. He could use a day back in Kindergarten himself.

We all could take a lesson from little kids. Kids get a bad rap for being cruel and selfish and bratty (especially now in this age of bad parenting), but that's not all there is to them. They can be kinder and gentler than any adult I know, because they don't have the same inhibitions. They haven't learned it's rude to be curious, and they aren't frightened to help someone who needs it. It's sad that there are so many bad people out there who make it a hazard to be innocent.