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By THERESA REYNOLDS
Rappahannock New* Staff Writer A week from today is circled in red on many R-appahannock County calendars as a reminder that buses will roll and children will rise early. For some local youngsters, next Thursday will be the first encounter with school, with other children in groups, with a structured day, or even with just being away from familiar surroundings for six or seven hours. If you are one of those mothers or fathers awaiting that day with a mixture of dread and pride, you may be interested in these words of advice on how to help your child weather the first day of school with confidence.
Candy Lamma, one of three Rappahannock Elementary School Kindergarten teacher, said that it’s important for parents to remember that their presence brings on the tears. “I tell my parents to ride the bus with their children but not to come to the classroom. U usually the tears are for their benefit. Mommy hanging around wringing her hands prolongs the time of crying and uncertainty.”
Lamma, who has been a Kindergarten teacher here for three years, said that since she began teaching she’s only had two or three real cryers. She said that she tries to be a mothersubstitute for the children and gives the anxious ones some extra reassurance. “They need to know that the teacher is just like their parents for the time they’re here,” she said. "The quicker they accept that we will both tell them what to do and care for them, the quicker they’ll adjust to the new situation.”
Lamma said that it helps a reluctant child to point out what friends will be at school or in the same class. Anything familiar is a help to a frightened child.
The isolation of rural living sometimes adds to the strain of starting school. “I sometimes have children who have never played with anyone else,” Lamma said. “It’s really rough on them.”
“We always hope that parents have been preparing their children all along,” Lamma said. “The idea of sharing, or playing with other children in a cooperative way, of using manners; all these are things that parents
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