‘He didn’t even notice us leaving… once he saw the Lego’: First day of school a mix of emotions

“Jesus Christ, the traffic,” muttered a young woman to herself as she raced up to the gates of the Broombridge Educate Together National School in Cabra, Dublin, just in time for her daughter to join her junior infants classmates as they set off on a journey through the education system that will take many of them into the 2040s.
The children gathered at the gate were dancing and singing and swinging off the arms of their mammies and daddies as they proudly showed off their Elsa, Bluey and Spider-Man bags, entirely oblivious to the stress hiding behind the smiles of some of the grown-ups in the line.
“It is the start of a 14-year cycle and they are just straight into it,” said Sarah Tougher as her daughter Arabella pogoed around at her feet. “It just such a relief to get her into the same school as her big sister and so exciting too. She has been looking forward to all the reading that she will get to do.”
She laughed nervously when asked about the likelihood of tears. “It has been great so far and the school has been brilliant organising these little play dates for them before schools starts but I am not sure what it will be like for her and for us when we are leaving the classroom.”
Arabella was pretty sure it would all be grand and there wasn’t a hint of nervousness as she boasted about her princess schoolbag and matching lunch box and shared her delight at having “one of my favourite friends” in the class with her.
Edel Early and her son Parker were close to the main entrance and she admitted to being both happy and sad that her little man with his Marvel schoolbag was off on his big adventure. “He is looking forward to activities, science and explosions,” she said.
When asked if there would be explosions, the little boy nodded vigorously.
Penny Kavanagh was excited to join her sister Poppy in big school and, after some urging from her dad Joe and her mam June, told The Irish Times that she was most excited about making new friends and showing off her Frozen schoolbag.
Roisin Bohan, Paddy Brophy and Caroline McConnell are teachers in the school and as they waited for the children to come through the doors they admitted to feeling just a hint of dread as the end of the summer break approached.
“All of August is like the Sunday fear,” said Brophy with a laugh, “but it is great to be back”.
“There is always a bit of nerves on the first day,” Bohan added. “It is such a big day in the kids’ lives isn’t it?”
For the principal Eibh Ní Mhordha, this year is unusual because among the children starting school is her own son Jack. “It is different when you are wearing two hats, your head kind of spins a bit. Every year when the junior infants start it is special and this year it is extra special for me.”
She manages the new arrivals with care and with play dates arranged in advance. “It is a different environment for the kids and they are only little. They are coming from classes of 12 to 16 in Ecce [the Early Childhood Care and Education programme] to a class of 25 so it is busy for them but it is all good.”
It certainly seemed good for the relieved parents who came out of the classrooms moments later.
“There were no tears at all,” Early said. “In fact he didn’t even notice us leaving. Once he saw the Lego in the classroom that was pretty much it.”