First day of the semester

Today was our first day of the new semester at co-op, which means that we all had new classes. It was also Andrew's first day teaching this semester, and he was quite nervous because it had been so long since he'd last taught in person. But he did well, and so did we!

Rachel and I were in the nursery with Phoebe the first hour. Rachel was the head teacher; I was one of the co-teachers. She did a fabulous job teaching and Phoebe had a delightful time! 

When it was time four our second class, I asked Phoebe if she wanted to come with me or whether she'd like to go back to her nursery class. She informed me that she'd like to go back to her nursery class. I was surprised, but I took her down there, opened the door, waved goodbye and...then stood by the window watching her for a few minutes.

She was perfectly fine without me.

Huh. 

So I left to go join Alexander, since I am the co-teacher for his LEGO Challenge class. 

I was in there for a grand total of maybe five minutes, when I heard a bit of a familiar-sounding commotion in the hallway. I poked my head into the hallway and saw Rachel carrying a weepy, red-faced Phoebe towards me.

I guess I'm not so unnecessary after all. 

Rachel had skipped out on her second hour class to work on her schoolwork for her college classes (Miriam skipped out on both hours of class to practice the organ). Both fine choices! But that meant that Rachel was in a position to hear how Phoebe was carrying on in nursery so she could rescue the nursery leaders from inconsolable Phoebe. 

"Mommy!" Phoebe cried with relief when she saw me. She ripped off her mask. "Need new mast! Dis mast dirty! I twied in mine mast! Dirty mast! I twied in it! Need new one!"

"You cried in your mask?" I said. "Well, let's get you a new one."

I have to keep a plentiful supply of masks on hand for her whenever we go out, just in case whichever masks she's wearing suddenly becomes unsuitable. Like if she forgets to not lick the inside of it and makes it soggy. Or, apparently, if she cries in the mask. Or...sometimes I haven't figured out what dirties the mask but she needs a fresh one anyway. 

"Do you want to go back to nursery class with your new mask on?" I asked her.

"No!" she said. "Stay home, Mommy!"

"Well, we're not really home," I told her. "But you'd like to stay with Mommy?"

"Yeah," she said. 

And then the teacher said something about how today we'd be doing "group projects" so Phoebe parroted that phrase back at me. 

"Droup proddeckt—Phoebe, too, droup proddeckt."

So Phoebe stayed and played with LEGO. And that was just fine.