Taking My Son to His First Day of Kindergarten [1989]
William Trowbridge (1941-)
As the eight o’clock bell spills
its racket into this mild September,
it is I, not he, who hesitates
in the clamor toward the open doors,
who spots the little ruffian throwing rocks
at the Trash-Master by the swings,
who shyly searches for Room 106,
where Miss Wynn waits with the name tags.
The halls still gust and flow
with the rush of new dresses, the scent
of denim and sharpened pencils.
Eighth-graders arrange themselves
in groups to tower in their nonchalance,
eyeing each other like sprinters at the blocks.
Near 106, a bulletin board
declares “The Season of Changes”
above a paper grove of sugar maples.
He pulls me on, then runs ahead,
fearless, blameless, gone.
Questions for Discussion
1. What does the figurative language in the opening lines emphasize?
A) The chaos of the new school year
B) The faulty working of the school’s bell
C) The classrooms that need cleaning
D) The end of summer’s oppressive heat
2. In line 5, the reader can tell that a ruffian is someone who
A) disobeys rules.
B) enjoys learning.
C) is athletic.
D) resents being small.
3. What is ironic about lines 3 and 4?
A) Loudness is not something people expect at school.
B) School doors usually remain closed.
C) Parents rarely go to school with their children.
D) Children normally hesitate in this situation.
4. What is the poet’s main purpose in lines 9–11?
A) To persuade parents to accompany their children to school
B) To complain about the lack of order in the hall
C) To capture the energy of the first day of school
D) To describe the anxiety of the other children
5. What do lines 12–14 highlight about the eighth-graders?
A) They seem indifferent but are really competitive.
B) The boys are much taller than the girls.
C) The group values athletics more than academic work.
D) They don’t need teachers to give them directions.
6. What does line 18 tell the reader about the poet?
A) He is getting tired of walking.
B) He wishes he were back in school.
C) He can’t understand his son’s curiosity.
D) He is still a bit hesitant.
7. In line 19, what do the words “fearless” and “blameless” suggest about the poet’s son?
A) He possesses an innocent excitement about the new school year.
B) He seems to have an overactive imagination.
C) He doesn’t have a strong love for his father.
D) He wants to be able to sprint like an eighth-grader.
1 A
2 D
3 A
4 C
5 A
6 D
7 A