I remember thinking, "this is going to be great!” I also remember screaming, kicking, and pain… what happened?  I went to preschool in a building named Cricket.  The building as a whole, served as a church.  The preschool itself was hosted in a small extension of the larger building.  The first thing that I had noticed when arrived at school was that the exterior walls had paint that was peeling.  Seeing the mint tulip colored flakes that were twitching to be freed made me uneasy.  The interior walls were equally neglected.  Wooden boards that were once neatly arranged in unison, now stood warped and protruding due to age.  Half dead trees that were enduring the cold of fall surrounded the poor structure.  The setting alone had foreshadowed a gloomy first day of school for me.  The next event to follow was my dreadful introduction to my teacher.

I was immediately greeted by my teacher, Mrs.  Wall.  She had an affable complexion, mature white hair, and a gentle voice.  Nothing about her could have invoked my next reaction.  My parents subtly turned their bodies one hundred and eighty degrees and started retracing their steps back toward the exit. They were leaving me! I karate chopped Mrs. Wall's hand and darted after my family.  They hadn't ever warned me about being left alone at school!  I latched on to my mom's wrist and clung for my life.  In an attempt to separate me and my mother, Mrs.  Wall grabbed my ankles while my mom tried to free her wrist.  As I was horizontally suspended in the air, I was struck with an epiphany.  I didn't like school!  I struggled to find something to grasp as my fingers slowly slipped from my mom's wrist.  My left hand popped off first and with the same hand, I found a loose wallboard to grab.  I even recall trying to kick myself free. Minutes seemed like hours and the ongoing struggle finallycame to an end when I was subdued.

I spent half of my day sulking. I felt lost and sad. I also had no idea that both my parents were still in the room next door. Discovering that they were still nearby had a big impact on me. Preschool was the first time I had dabbled in independence.  The thought of independence was a scary thought at first.  However, that same revelation led to my psychological revolution. I stopped focusing on materialistic values.  I learned about how important friends are and how to make new ones.  Most importantly, I realized that my family was and would always be supporting me regardless of the distance placed between us.