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Ready or not, here he comes
© St. Petersburg Times, My son writes his name in a backward semicircle. The letters progress in a left-right sequence until he runs out of room. Then they arc upward and back to the left for a kaleidoscope effect. It's one of his many endearing habits. And one that, come Wednesday, the Hillsborough County school system will seek to undo. This most innocent of creatures will enter a world of FCATs and Accelerated Reading, although through a gentler entry point whose crowning moment is the Teddy Bear Parade. Pass the tissues: My youngest is starting kindergarten. He'll make his way among prepubescents and skateboard riders and seasoned educators who just don't know the things I know about him. That he's shy, for example. That he can load software faster than either of his parents, but thinks the Rugrats' Chuckie Finster is a real person. That he worships his older sister but sometimes wishes he "got to be born first." That his favorite sensation is running. That his potty humor is not ill-intended, but a proven method of getting a laugh. My son's a young Steve Martin, and it's hard to imagine strangers will get that about him. He enters school on the cusp of true boyhood. Knows the lyrics of Radio Disney hits while the nuts and bolts of life -- like time and money -- remain abstract concepts. School will teach him those values and then some. He'll learn that conformity is his ticket to the student-of-the-week ribbon and the Friday trip to the prize box. School will challenge and intrigue him, causing him either to appreciate or question his native intelligence. Whether he is ready is anybody's guess. He changed this summer. Suddenly he's pretend-reading his favorite books and taking on responsibilities at home. He poses questions that are inquisitive, analytical. "Mommy," he asks. "If I stay up all night and never go to sleep, will it ever be morning?" So maybe he is ready -- and I'm the one who isn't. Cut summer in half, as they have in our school district, and you feel robbed. Like you fell asleep and woke up in September. Like somebody hit the fast-forward button on this important rite of passage. It helps that our daughter loves her school. It's a warm and compassionate place with innovative teachers and a melting pot of cultures. PTA meetings are family affairs, with children playing in the media center while the adults organize carnivals and vote on ways to raise money. I took my son to our July meeting -- always a risky proposition. The woman next to me was new. "I didn't know you could bring your kids," she said. "That's nice." I looked up and was amazed at what I saw. My rambunctious 5-year-old had finished his drive-through cheeseburger and chosen a picture book from one of the shelves. There he stood, turning the pages quietly and examining each one. "Yes, it is," I told the woman. "Over there ... that's my son."
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