Siblings share first-day-of-school jitters


BY LIZA BERGER
KENOSHA NEWS

As they sat on their comfortable family couch early Tuesday morning, sporting their brand new clothes and shoes, 10-year Bashkime Murati and her three brothers and sisters were a vision of first-day jitters.

Nervous laughter mixed with heavy sighs as they talked about heading back to school after a long, relaxing summer. All four are attending Bain Elementary School.

“It’s creepy. There’s new students. You don’t know them too good,” said 9-year-old Lirijeta, wearing a brand new tank top with sparkles, just like the blue one her older sister was wearing, but in purple.

“I hope my teacher’s nice,” said Bashkime, who started fifth grade.

In addition to the school supplies they carried in their stiff, unused backpacks, Bashkime, Lirijeta and 8-year-old Ilir also carried all the emotions that accompany a first day of school: fear, excitement, anxiety. Even Adrian, 5, who is starting kindergarten at Bain a week late due to a medical procedure, looked concerned.

As they piled into their red minivan with their father, Neki, at the wheel, they had one more mildly apprehensive student to pick up – their cousin, Driton Aliu, 5, who lives across the street and is entering kindergarten. Driton had a serous look on his face as he stepped into the van.

Even though the calendar said “school,” the day said “summer.” The weather was warm and the sky was clear. Some children rushed excitedly into school. Some hung back with their parents.

Soon enough, the students learned that their teachers had the jitters, too.

“This is our first day back at school,” said Principal Margaret Carpenter in Bain’s gymnasium, where the students convened. “I am totally excited. I didn’t sleep last night.”

As she spoke of the excitement of the new school year, more children gathered in the auditorium and stood in line, their parents hanging back on the periphery.

“They’ve been excited all week,” said Tania Wright, taking pictures of her children, Centeria, 9, and Jordan, 10, who walked off calmly with their classroom teachers.

The sense of separation peaked for some when the students walked to their classrooms, away from their parents.

One of the hardest parts about the first day, no doubt, is leaving mom and dad. Dashurie Murati, mother of the four Murati children, would agree.

“It’s kind of hard, you know?” she said.