Today was the first day of school for my grade school kids.

Technically, it was an orientation day. They split the kids according to the alphabet just for orientation. Today and tomorrow are for letters N-Z.

Last night, we laid out the school clothes, organized the backpacks, and managed to get Johnny into the shower. This morning went relatively smoothly. We schlepped the backpacks full of folders, writing implements, and Kleenex to the bus stop. There was even time for a couple of pictures.

When the bus arrived, Johnny bounded up the stairs before I could grab a kiss. Or a hug. There was no looking back. He’s been itching to ride a school bus for years.

That’s okay. I wasn’t looking for a Mom moment. I’ve done the Kindergarten thing before. Greta, Angela, Michael, Josephine, and Rocky had the great Mrs. Ruskin. Mary Frances had the incredible Mrs. Jarzembowski. Johnny was assigned Mrs. E. Truth be told, I’ve been concerned. Not because Mrs. E is anything less than stellar. But Johnny had a different plan.

The fateful day of classroom assignments came the other week. Here’s how my conversation with Johnny went regarding teacher assignments.

Me: “Johnny, are you excited to start Kindergarten?”

Johnny: “No. I’m going to hate it.”

Me: “Why?”

Johnny: “If I don’t get Mrs. B, I am not going.”

Me: “But Mrs. E is an awesome teacher!”

Johnny: “If I get Mrs. E, I’m going straight to 1st grade.”

Me: “But, you have to learn the stuff in Kindergarten before you go to 1st grade.”

Johnny: “Mom, I learned plenty of stuff in PreK 4. I’ll be fine.”

Me: “I’m pretty sure you need to learn the stuff in Kindergarten first.”

Johnny: “Mom, all they’re going to teach me is how to plant a seed. And I already know how to do that.”

Thankfully, Johnny has made his peace with Mrs. E. It helps that his baseball buddy was assigned to the same class. The day went well. Masks stayed on. Water bottles returned home. There were no phone calls from the office. Johnny said Mrs. E was great.

But the alphabet split made for some interesting classroom dynamics. Rocky’s 8th grade class consisted of just her and one other boy. Johnny was somewhat miffed to find he was the only boy in his class. He said it was just like being at home with his sisters. I promised him that the entire class arrives on Monday for the first full day of school.

He told me there had better be some boys.