Another Diploma

September 8th, 2011, will never be forgotten.  You marched up the steps of the big yellow bus and went to your very first day of Kindergarten.  It was big. Huge in fact.  I’ll never forget the way I felt watching you walk up the steps of the bus and having it drive away…  Having you leave me on that first day felt beyond awkward.  Wasn’t I supposed to go with?  Who would make sure you ate enough of your lunch to deserve dessert?  Who would make sure you zipped your coat to stay warm at recess?  Who would remind you to wash your hands after you used the bathroom? 

Hover no more, those days are over.  We quickly, seemingly in no time at all, fell into the routine of school.   You never once (seriously) asked to skip school.  The few times you said you didn’t want to go, I responded with an “Okay, stay home with us…”  You quickly replied, no way!  I learned to love letting you go.  You came home each day proud of the work you completed, eager to show us what was in your ‘take home folder’ and you impressed your dad and I almost daily with what you had learned.  You grew, more than inches over the past 8 months, you grew in wisdom.  Reading is a piece of cake and you enjoy reading chapter books—books without pictures on every page.  As I have said time and time again, seeing you read, will never get old. Math is “super easy’ as you have said.  Math goes beyond number recognition in Kindergarten, you are adding and subtracting numbers from 1-20.  You became a school aged kid with ease.  For that, we know we are lucky…

On May 31, 2012, we honored the end of your Kindergarten year with a graduation.  You had practiced for weeks and we asked that you keep the songs a secret until we saw it at the program; grudgingly, you obeyed.  You stood as proud as could be in your white cap. You scanned the room looking for your dad and I.  When you smiled and waved, my eyes filled with tears.  Pride tears.  You were up there, a complete little Kindergartener and you were so happy.  You sang songs, told poems and then received your diploma from your teacher Mrs. Hoel.  You told her that you wanted to be a teacher when you grow up, and I have no doubt that if you choose to take the education route, you will succeed far beyond our expectations.  A few things struck me as I watched you interact with your classmates on this special day.  The biggest (and the one that made me the most proud) is how much you wanted to show your sister off.  You wanted her to sit right next to you at your table, making sure her cookie was gluten and dairy free “Because she’s allergic to those things.” You showed her off to all your friends.  They smiled and waved to her and the smile on your face while they interacted with your sister was huge. You even wanted to take her hand and receive your diploma with her.  (I can only semi-apologize for Mikayla as she didn’t want to go along with you. Let’s be honest, it’s just who she is.)  The second thing that struck me was how you just fit in. This is a home away from home for you.  This classroom has been your spring board into the rest of your elementary education years.  You will look at that door and down the “Kindergarten Wing” and you will always remember how that place made you feel.  It was a good place.  A great place actually.  You became an even brighter and happier little girl through the weeks and months that you were a Kindergartener.

Congratulations and I love you more than you will ever know…