Teddy’s first day at school

Today was Teddy’s first day at school.

As is tradition, we took a picture on the doorstep, which I am obliged to share with you. What I didn’t need to do, but am going to, is share some reflections.

Pride: we got Teddy ready to go to the same building, at the same time as we have done for the last two years. Despite this, I felt an incredible sense of pride looking at the happy boy smiling back at me.

I loved that he was keen to get to school to see his friends and to learn how to read and write. It made my heart ache with joy to hear how he wanted to tell them about his summer and ask about their’s. I was emotional as he asked about his favourite teaching assistant who left the school last year – especially as she’d sent Teddy a good luck message last night.

Tradition and routine: despite getting bigger, Teddy still wanted to be carried on my shoulders from our house to the school doors. And despite him getting bigger, I was happy to do it.

We had a lovely conversation about how he needed to do what the teacher told him (“ok, dad”), sit down when he was told to (“I am good at that daddy!”) and tidy up (“good at that too”). I also told him he needed to listen, but I am not sure he heard me.

Learning: I tried to explain to Teddy that school was different to nursery and he’d be expected to learn things now, as well as play.

Teddy told me he was looking forward to learning to read and write. He said that he can scribble, but that doesn’t look like when an adult writes. Except for the letter T.

After school, he exclaimed to Charlotte that they “forgot to teach me how to read.” Hopefully that enthusiasm won’t wane as he starts to learn this skill.

Story-telling: The conversation moved on to jobs.  I told Teddy that I write things for a living. He wondered what I wrote. I considered explaining communications theory, and extolling the virtues of stakeholder engagement and my views as to why internal communication is so important.

Instead, I settled on story-telling. That must have been good enough – he told me that he would tell the teachers, because he wasn’t sure they’d have remembered over the summer.

For the record, today Teddy wants to be a solider (and his favourite colour is green, his favourite food is pasta and his favourite things are monster trucks)/

Goodbye: And after a final, nervous hug, Teddy ran off to see his friends – old and new. And I set off home for my first meeting of the day, wondering where the last four years have gone.

The smile remained on my face.