If Jumping to Conclusions were Jumping Off Buildings then I just Jumped off the Sears Tower

Splat. 

Nothing good ever comes from jumping to conclusions, you know, before you have all the facts.  That's exactly what happened to me last Thursday. 

The backstory:
At our pre-school there are two classrooms dedicated to full-time VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) both teachers are awesome and I love them both.  You can't go wrong with either one of them.  On August 23rd the children will move to their new classrooms.

The Story:
On Thursday morning, while dropping Camdyn off in her classroom, I ask her current teacher which teacher Cam will have for VPK.  She tells me that Camdyn will be with Miss C.  Sweet.  I love her, she's known Cam since she was 9 months old.  That's awesome.  Then, I ask her which of her friends will have Miss C too....NONE OF THEM. 

This is where, my head starts to spin.  How is that?  She's being separated from Madie next year, and Nicole?  They've been together since they were 1!  I was floored.  I felt like I was falling through the rabbit hole like Alice in Wonderland.  My head was spinning.  So, I start asking questions and I learn that one class has 18 kids (yes - 18) and the other only has 8.  Camdyn is in the group of 8.  Okay, so now I start trying to figure that out and my mind ventures to that terrible place where I start trying to breakdown that decision.  Is she in the smaller group because she needs more help?  Then, this comes out of my mouth, "OMG - She's in the "slow" group!"  Sweet Jesus.  She's behind.  They have already labeled her as "low" and she's going to be pigeon-holed for the rest of her academic career.  I know, it's dramatic, but that's where my mind went.  And then I took this turn.  Or, maybe she has a serious behavior problem.  Maybe, she is unruly and it would be easier for her to be in the smaller group because they can't control her, heaven knows I have a hard time at it too.  My kid must be THAT KID. 

When, I left the pre-school that morning, I was sick to my stomach, near tears, and I was angry that Camdyn wasn't with all of her friends in the bigger class.  I was that stereotypical "my child does nothing wrong, why is she being singled out, I'm going to put an end to this" parent.  Now, I swore I would never be that parent, the parent that was every teacher's worst nightmare because they refused to recognize a problem, and defended their kid regardless of circumstance, but here I am. Another of parenthood's "don't judge me" lessons.  And, then I started thinking about what this means to me, how I was feeling now that Cam would be separated from MY FRIENDS, the Mommas that I love hanging out with and meeting for playdates.  I couldn't figure out if I was more devastated for Cam since she'll be separated from her besties, or for myself. 

I stewed on it all.day.long.  By the time I spoke with the director about it, I was nearly in tears.  Okay, I was in tears.  No one enjoys thinking their kid has a behavior or learning problem.  I confirmed that one class has 18 kids, and one has 8.  They were separated based on age to obtain a mix in both classes, then they separated the kids that had been together the longest, and separated the girls that "feed off each other."  This was interesting to me.  I know that Madie & Cam fight like sisters.  They love each other, but the two can also find themselves in screaming matches.  I was assured that they were not grouped by ability (that would be ridiculous at this age) and that Camdyn does not have a learning or behavior problem that needs addressing.

I gathered from the director that they thought Cam was a good fit with Miss C because they have a relationship already (Miss C runs the nursery room at church) and that Cam would adjust easily (compliment to Cam). 

So, my feelings began to change.  This is a gift.  Being in the smaller class is a good thing.  Camdyn is going to get more attention and hopefully a hand-up in preparing for kindergarten.  She's not going to be lost in a sea of 4 year old faces...she'll be 1 of 8.  How could that be a bad thing?  Plus, I love her teacher, she is experienced, and if anyone can get Camdyn to finally recognize the letter "W" Miss C can.  Plus, I'll still have my momma friends, Cam will still see her friends on the playground, and it'll be okay. 

It turns out that I'm not the only Momma who was traumatized by classroom assignments for next year.  There are a handful of other Momma's who are royally pissed off....still.  I shared my perspective with them, their thoughts "They are 4.  They aren't going to college, they are going to kindergarten.  Let them be with their friends for one more year."  I get that perspective, but would much rather my kid learn what she is supposed to learn, so that she can be at the top of her Kindergarten pals instead of struggling, feeling behind, and possibly losing interest in learning in elementary school.  The adjustment from school being entirely play centered and social centered needs to begin in Pre-K, otherwise Kindergarten is going to be a reality check.  This is the first step.

And, I learned - again, for the zillionth time in my 32 years - that Jumping to Conclusions always ends badly.  One day, I might actually think of that before I'm free falling into conclusion-ville. 

And because jumping to conclusions and jumping in general is so much fun.  Here is Chloe jumping too...well, sort of.