2nd Week in Standard 1

Mon - My driver duty has officially started. My days begin when the sky is still dark. Yes, our lifestyles change according to the kids’ routine. Traffic was heavy when I sent the kids to school but it’s manageable. Didi requested for company during recess time. PaPa went alone to check on him as he’ll go to work straight away after that.

Tues - We said our goodbyes. He walked towards the assembly area. Then he turned and walked back to me, crying. Asked me not to leave him there. Said he missed me. He wanted me to come during recess time, instead of PaPa. After some coaxing, he went back to assembly area and I waited for him (at the gate) till he walked to his class. I went to his school during recess but was not allowed to go in. They are quite strict that parents are not allowed inside the school compound from Week 2 onwards. If there's a need, we can get permission from the principal, it’s on a case to case basis. I gave the excuse that I wanted to see his teacher but I was still denied entry. The guard said teachers have their rest during recess, I can only go in when recess is over. I understand she’s just doing her job. I can’t help but wonder if it’s really necessary to be so strict (on the Standard 1 kids) on the first few weeks of school. I suppose they are training the kids to be independent, maybe the sooner the better. So I waited outside the gate. I saw him at the walkway on his way to the canteen, called him but he didn't hear me. Waited till recess time was almost over, he walked past again. (Actually he was on his way to the phone booth to call me as he didn’t see me in the canteen. But he doesn’t have any coins. *duh*) This time, the guard helped me to get his attention. Glad to know he finished his snack although l wasn't waiting at the canteen as promised. Luckily he only fussed for one day.

Wed - Homework has started but very minimal.

Thurs - Didi told me tomorrow (Friday) and the following Monday don’t have to attend school. And I almost believed him because he came back with 4 pages of Maths homework (writing). But I called up the school office anyway, just to confirm. I was going to give up as there was no answer. Finally, someone picked up the phone. And nope, no holiday. hahaha My guess is teacher was talking about the coming holidays, which are Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday and Thaipusam.

Fri - Managed to talk to one of his teachers. Apparently there are no school fees to pay (wow!) but there is some kind of “contributions” to be collected some time in the middle of the year. I also asked about the class streaming. It was a relief to know that he was not in the weaker class. Teacher then checked with me if he has any urinary problems. She can recognise him because he goes to the toilet very often. hehe I told her I don’t find anything wrong with him. So it’s more of a habit than a health issue. She said in that case, she’ll try to slowly control him. I hope when he’s more focused in class, he won’t be thinking about peeing all the time.