Going back to school

The first day back at school was a good day for both kids. Sydney had a rough time separating from me but they took great care of her and she pulled it together. When I walked into the classroom at the end of the day and Sydney saw me she ran up to me, grabbed me and said "I missed you Mommy!" She just melts my heart.
I think this change at school is going to be a good one for the girls. I realized a lot today, my instinct is usually correct and I need to listen to the little voice in my head that says that something is not right. I knew that I did not like the girls teacher because she was nervous and hovered over the kids. Matt and I knew that we were having a problem with Lior when she would tell us that that she could not do something because it was easier to have us do it. I was going to address that issue after the break, I knew that it was not coming from us.
There were a lot of other behaviors that I did not attribute to school and I am now making connections. Our girls are constantly yelling and shouting at us when we are not moving fast enough, when they do not get what they want or when we are not paying attention to them. Tonight when I was cooking dinner Sydney stood on a box and starting screaming "I want a apple right now!!" while shaking a finger at me. Now I am far from perfect but I try not to bark orders at the girls. When I ask them to do something I usually say please and thank you and if they do not listen I start counting and helping. I was blaming Matt that the kids were always telling me to do things "right now!", because he was saying that as a last resort. Matt doesn't really yell so I can't blame him for that one. I think the yelling came from school and I am glad that we will not have to deal with that anymore.
I am a little more concerned about Sydney's behavior and how sensitive she has become. When Sydney was smaller she would stick her bottom lip out and pout when her feelings were hurt but that was when she was my "easy button". When she learned to walk and became my tough cookie she seemed to let a lot of things roll off her back and she was better able to deal with her emotions, but not lately. Before the break she was having a very hard time every time I left the room and at bedtime. Matt could not put her to sleep because she did not want me to leave her. She would tell me that she did not feel well or that she was sick on school days. On the last day of school I walked into the room and Sydney took one look at me and started to cry and told me "I want to go home!" I could just kick myself that I missed so many signs that something was not right for her. I attributed a lot of her stress to not feeling well, the renal ultra-sound or teething. Those things may have been a factor but I am going to pay closer attention to what she is telling me and her behavior (which is much-much better since she has been home for two weeks).
In retrospect I should have been more aware of what exactly was going on in the classroom. I did not make the connections that I should have made. I did share some of my concerns with the school administrators today. I hope that the things that I told them were perceived the way they were intended and not as just bad mouthing their old teacher. I do think that she taught the girls a lot and shared a lot of very valuable information and experiences with them. My kids really liked her and they were spending time with her. I do not think that our personalities were a good match but I am not going to like every teacher the girls are going to have and I have to learn to deal with that. I also know that the girls are not going to like every teacher they have and they are going to have to learn to deal with that. It is a good life lesson for us all!