Amanda's First Day

Can't believe our little Ate is now in a big school.  She's both excited and anxious on her first day.  Good thing this song from Elena of Avalor boosted her confidence:

Elena:
A new school can be scary at first 
With unfamiliar faces
New rules, new teachers
And lots of unknown faces
But school's just a new world of problems 
Puzzles for you to solve
So you don't have to worry
There's nothing you can't resolve...

What's more encouraging is that she has her little sister Cassandra by her side.

The little Ate Cassandra showing Ate Amanda their Lego figures that they built.  They already have names for each of the characters.

And of course, the bunso was there to support her big Ate.

A great shot by Mommy Cali while Ate Amanda goes to the gate.

Entering the room, she saw her name tag on the table and quietly sat down on her seat.  As a parent, you can observe different personalities of each kids in the room.  Some are restless, some are quiet and some are just observing as everything seem to be new to them.

Then it was time for parents the go out of the room but before leaving we said "bye Ate and see you later".

On our way out, little Ate Cassandra requested for a picture with Rapunzel.  This is a rare picture of her smiling.

It was a great experience for us parents to have one of our kids go to a big school.  Here are some things I realized: 

1. Facing Fears - In life, we face a lot of challenges where there are a lot of unknowns yet we have to brave through it in order to grow.  Nelson Mandela said "...courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it".  And this was what Amanda did to bring up her life skill a notch higher. 
2. Lifelong Learning - When I was studying, I was used to cramming and playing the school game in order to get good grades... Hopefully that changes with my children so they would go to school because of learning and not because of grades. 
3. Changing Times - I was used to OHPs when I was in College, but now Amanda has LED screen in their room.  Well, regardless of the technology, what's important is on how the lessons come across the students.  Even if Augment Reality becomes a basic educational tool in the future, what's vital is that kids learn faster and better.