Introducing Grade 1s to English

This week I've been in many of the first English classes ever for the new grade 1s. I'm not daunted at all as I've been through the process in years previous but they all come to the class with a mixture of fright, cuteness, energy and curiosity that's very heart-warming. They're still very new to the school environment and the overwhelming number of things expected of them. They come to class shrinking under the weight of all the new experiences. In an effort to combat this, especially in the smaller schools filled with older bigger students with no smaller kids in which to commiserate and play with, we had a bit of a welcoming ceremony today that included interviews and games. The rest of the school was in the gym doing last minute preparations while the guests of honour were waiting on the other side of the door. At the time of the big unveil - no kids! Evidently we took too long and they went into the music room next door out of boredom and curiosity. Shame on us. The multiple choice quiz about the new grade ones carefully crafted by the grade sixes, to show they aren't all that bad, had some unexpected answers. One of the new grade ones is a perfect picture of exhaustion this week. He's overwhelmed by all the attention but sits patiently, feet not touching the floor, shoulders sagging, and, to his credit, eyes still bright. His eyes are so big it's like a window into the innocence of his soul but I don't know what to say about the three front teeth he's missing creating a black gap when he smiles or laughs. Previously interviewed by the grade sixes to make sure everything went smoothly, on the first question, given three choices of which he like best - oranges, bananas or strawberries - he changed his answer and picked the fourth - grapes! - to a great roar of laugher from the audience. We declared the first question a practice round and reminded him of the rules. On next three questions he exposed a habit of shaking his head to the answers he didn't like and staying as still as a tombstone for his preference, trying to act nonchalant. I don't know if it was an unconscious act or if he still didn't understand the rules but it sure was refreshing humour in an all to mad world.