Eilis Dolan Klein – on kindergarten.

September 9, 2000

[Deirdre Dolan is a contributing editor of Open Letters. Eilis Dolan Klein is her niece; she is five. Eilis started kindergarten this week, and agreed to speak to Open Letters about the experience.]

Deirdre: When was the first day of school?

Eilis: Wednesday.

Deirdre: Who took you?

Eilis: Mommy.

Deirdre: What’d you wear on the first day?

Eilis: A flowerdy pink striped dress that I haven’t worn in a long time. I picked it out weeks ago and I hung it up with my backpack and underwear for the first day.

Deirdre: Which underwear?

Eilis: The white Barbie with horses on them.

Deirdre: Did you do anything else to get ready for the first day?

Eilis: I put my pencil case in my backpack. Which I didn’t actually need.

Deirdre: Why?

Eilis: They have everything you need there.

Deirdre: Remember how you practiced doing homework every night for a week before school started? Why did you do that?

Eilis: Well, I didn’t know what they were going to do. They said you have to do work, but I thought that meant work, like you bring in homework. But it turned out that meant do art work.

Deirdre: Were you happy when you found that out?

Eilis: Yes.

Deirdre: Where’d you get the idea there was going to be homework?

Eilis: I just knew that I had to do something.

Deirdre: Did you see it on TV?

Eilis: I think so.

Deirdre: What show?

Eilis: Arthur.

Deirdre: Did you spend the whole first day thinking they were about to ask you to do some work?

Eilis: Yeah, and when they didn’t I was like, Oh, that’s crazy.

Deirdre: How long does a day of kindergarten feel compared to a day of pre-kindergarten?

Eilis: Long.

Deirdre: Do you get tired?

Eilis: We have rest time.

Deirdre: What do you do during rest time?

Eilis: You lie down on a towel.

Deirdre: For how long?

Eilis: A slow fifteen minutes.

Deirdre: Does anybody fall asleep?

Eilis: It’s called rest time. You’re supposed to rest. I’m not that tired.

Deirdre: How old is your teacher?

Eilis: Twenty-five.

Deirdre: Does she go to the bathroom?

Eilis: Of course not. She doesn’t need to go all day. I didn’t see her go to the bathroom once.

Deirdre: Who was wearing the nicest outfit on the first day?

Eilis: Me. Wait, change my mind, Mrs. O’Connor.

Deirdre: What was she wearing?

Eilis: She had this little sweater and a dress and curled-up hair and high heels, and she has an assistant named Mrs. Opino.

Deirdre: Has anyone got in trouble in your class yet?

Eilis: No. But there’s a Time Out Chair.

Deirdre: Has anyone had to sit in it yet?

Eilis: No. But one day Mrs. O’Connor went over and goes “This is the Time Out Chair.”

Deirdre: How long do you sit in it?

Eilis: About two minutes.

Deirdre: Are people scared of having to sit in it?

Eilis: No, it feels like nobody’s scared. Except Matthew. I mean, he cries like crazy.

Deirdre: Do you think you might ever have to sit in it?

Eilis: Oh, man, no way.

Deirdre: How come?

Eilis: Listen, I don’t make a sound at circle.

Deirdre: What’s circle?

Eilis: Where you sit down on the rug and the teacher says what’s going to happen.

Deirdre: Why do you listen so well?

Eilis: I don’t want to go to the principal’s office at all.

Deirdre: Why does school exist?

Eilis: Because people have to learn.

Deirdre: Why?

Eilis: So they can go to high school.

Deirdre: Why go to high school?

Eilis: To be a grown-up.

Deirdre: So was life better before school or after?

Eilis: You can guess that.

Deirdre: No, I can’t.

Eilis: Of course you can.

Deirdre: I can’t.

Eilis: Just guess.

Deirdre: Before.

Eilis: Before.