Friday, June 12, 2015

Elena's Last Day of Kindergarten

It seemed like this day would not come - everyone else has been out of school for a while, and now that it is officially completed, the summer will fly- for many reasons. One is just keeping them busy. One is that we are moving. The final reason, I guess, is that summer always flies! I have truly felt grateful for the lush, greenness of these last few weeks. I feel like I am more conscious of the heavy, humid air and all the changes that are about to swirl around us. I feel a bit like we are being swept up and moved along - apparently I am a little more planted here than I thought.
Elena's last day of kindergarten has ended a week of bringing home artfolios (I wondered what she was doing all year in there!), math workbooks, and journals. It all feels bittersweet as I have dropped her off a hundred times and more, watching her run to the kindergarten door, her arms out in front of her with her giant backpack slogging side-to-side, looking like it might tip her over. How she never, ever looked back once she left the car or hardly even said goodbye as she climbed out. It was all about the friends on the other side. And then her eyes searching a bit nervously at pick-up time, wondering if I would be there, always a little worried that I might not be. And, truthfully, I was a few minutes late enough times that I got to see her beautiful face framed in the window between the kindergarten classroom doors, and then see her disappear and come rushing out the side door.
I got to know the kids in her class by listening to her talk about them and by going in each Wednesday to read to the class. Papa got to go a few times, and Meme went once, too. I began to enjoy very much going to the class and seeing their intent little faces and hearing Evan say, "Hey, you got your haircut," and on the last day, "Not again!" So maybe I was the only parent who went almost every week, but I felt sad when I would ask Elena if any parent came to read to the class and she would say, "No, no one came!" If I'm not home from work to do things like that, I don't know why I am!
Elena did not want to stop for this picture as we were walking toward the school, but she did stop and give me a bit of a grin. Just for a second.

I have seen so many changes in Elena this last year and I have been amazed at how fast she has learned. One of the biggest things this spring has been the interest in friends. The neighborhood kids have become quite a bunch - playing "adventures," swordfights, tag, a water fight a few days ago, and making mud pies (one of my favorites.) Some of the kids, especially Maren, like finding bugs and collecting them. Worms, moths, butterflies, roly-polys... whatever they can find. This stage of childhood is brimming with discovery and it's fun to be a parent watching it unfold. It is also pulling at my heartstrings, watching them fly farther from the nest and needing us less - though there is still a lot to be taught and a lot for me to learn, too. That's what it's all about, yes? I'm not sure who is learning more from whom :)


The pictures below are from an after-school celebration today at a fellow kindergartner's house. The kiddos had a great time playing freeze game, drawing, a short stint outside in the cool rain and upstairs... 
 Everyone looks so happy! Love this~


 I had watched Olivia and Maren sit next to each other and scoot, scoot, scoot their chairs closer together. So cute! 


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