It's That Time Of Year

The ever-delightful Meghan Cox Gurdon reflects on the bittersweet moment of sending her youngest off to school for the first time.

We're doing the same thing at the Butcher's House this year - our 2 1/2 year old starts preschool next week, while the 4 1/2 year old goes to kindergarten and the 6 year old starts first grade. However, the girls go to a Montessori school, so this is incorrect terminology. The preschoolers and kindergarteners are all mixed together in the downstairs classrooms. At our girls' school, the youngest kids, who only stay for the morning, are known as "Morning Stars" while the over 5's who stay for the afternoon are known as "Lunchbunchers". Also, first through third graders are all mixed together in what is known as the Lower Elementary class.

So does this mean the Missus is going to get to spend her mornings eating bon-bons and watching Oprah? Not bloody likely. In true busman's holiday fashion, she is going to be teaching in one of the upper elementary classes at the girls's school. But I wrong her: The Butcher's Wife is one of St. Maria's most fervent acolytes and I know almost nobody else who enjoys their work as much as she does. So she is looking forward to the start of things as much as the girls are.