MARK MY WORD: THE WHOLE FAMILY GEARS UP FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Wednesday will be a Kodak moment.

Bailey's starting kindergarten, one of those major rungs in the ladders of our lives.

Our 5-year-old can't wait to get started. We toured her kindergarten classroom the other day. She hugged her teacher and transferred her school supplies from her backpack to her school desk.

She was delighted. She looked the way archaeologists must have looked at the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

She was practically bouncing off the walls. Fortunately, gravity intervened.

Being her parents, we were impressed too. There's nothing like a big kindergarten room with a built-in bathroom to make you appreciative of the public schools.

Corporate America could learn a lot from kindergarten. There's nothing like a few group hugs to boost morale.

Nap time doesn't hurt, either. Armed with her nap rug, Bailey is ready for life-long learning.

Unlike her older sister, Becca, who believes that schooling requires students to take their lunch, Bailey plans to eat the school lunches.

Becca had the same kindergarten teacher that Bailey has. But Bailey's class is in a newer classroom. The paint on the walls still looks white.

It's a bright and cheerful place. Of course, school hasn't even started yet. No doubt, the cheerfulness can wear off when you have a room full of 5- and 6-year-olds all shouting at once.

But Bailey can't wait. After five years of day care, she is ready to join her big sister at school. She's so excited, she has been wearing her first-day-of-school outfit around the house. She smiles broadly as she marches through the house telling us all that she is ready for school.

We're ready too, although this year we'll have to contend with two first-day-of-classes.

Becca will be going into the fourth grade. She's excited too, but she isn't showing it as outwardly as Bailey.

By the time you're 9, it's important to be cool. But that isn't the case with 5-year-olds. They're just so excited to be growing up.

Going to school is a social happening that ranks right up there with birthday parties and chewing gum.

"I like play time. I like lunch time. I like music time," insists Bailey, who is waiting for the school bell to ring on her new life.

"I even like my teacher," she proudly tells me.

No doubt, she's be thrilled to pose for a picture on the first day of school. Becca was embarrassed by our picture-taking actions on her first day of kindergarten four years ago. These days, she's used to such embarrassment. Parents can be pretty stubborn about such things.

Actually, I think Becca's excited that she'll have a little sister in the same school. No doubt, she'll show her the ropes.

After all, a little sisterly advice can be a real education.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.