My Last Kid Graduates From Preschool (SOB)

Sometimes I feel like time is slipping by too fast. Even though it is summer break now for our family, it is almost surreal to realize that another school year (while stuffed) has passed me by, more quickly than I thought it would. And nothing brought this fact home harder than seeing my youngest child--my baby--graduate from preschool. In just under two months, my tiny princess will be entering kindergarten, aka The World Of The Big Kids. HOW can she be a "big kid"?? Where has the time gone?

For her part, Aurora has loved preschool this year. At the same time, though, she is clearly ready to take the next big step to kindergarten. She is by far the most sociable of my three girls, and sitting at home alone with Mom just wasn't cutting it for her this year. True, she managed to have lots of play dates with her friends, but even so, I could tell she yearned for more regular social interaction. Aurora loves groups of people, and she loves stimulating play. I couldn't always give her that when I was taking her to the grocery store, or (worse) sitting in front of our computer goofing off or paying bills. After Aurora turned five in January, she started asking me when she was going to start kindergarten, now that she was "old enough" to go. I told her she needed to finish the school year first, and to graduate from Ms. Nichole's preschool class.

When her graduation approached, Aurora turned from being excited into being a little melancholy. She finally realized that the end of preschool also meant the end of lessons, play-time, crafts, and fun with friends three times a week. Most of all, it meant the end of going over to Ms. Nichole's house! Just like Celeste before her, Aurora fell in love with Ms. Nichole. I love her too; she is such a sweet, friendly person who is always quick to smile, no matter what else was going on.

This was a tumultuous year for Nichole; she had her third baby (a cute little girl named Scout) in October; her husband was finishing medical school and looking for a job; and her mother became seriously ill in the winter, forcing Nichole to take an unscheduled, extended trip out of town. Through all the stress, she never failed to greet students and parents with a smile every day, and work very hard at giving her students the best experience possible. She was also good at getting substitute teachers, so that the class would proceed mostly uninterrupted. I was so impressed at her ability to keep everything held together so nicely.

 

But more important than my own feelings were Aurora's...and luckily, she adored Nichole and looked forward to every day of class. In fact, by the end of the school year, Aurora's career goals had changed. She no longer wanted to be a "policeman" (her choice at the beginning of the school year); now she wanted to become a teacher, just like Nichole, so she could help others to learn. It was very sweet and touching to see how much she looked up to her wonderful teacher.

Due to Nichole's schedule, there weren't a lot of field trips or extra parties this year for preschool. But that was fine with all of the parents, since the class itself was going so well. On the final day of class, the kids all lined up and sang several songs to their parents, to show off their newfound knowledge.

There was a "days of the week" song...

 The "months of the year" song...

And some sort of "cat sat on a hat" song! I'm afraid I didn't get the name of the last song, but it's still cute.

Then everyone sat down and waited to receive their diplomas.

We were all so excited to see the kids in their cute little caps and gowns! Everyone looked very official. I loved seeing Aurora sharing that moment with all her friends that she'd grown closer to throughout the year.

 

Our family has been so grateful for this preschool experience...and for Celeste's experience a couple of years ago, in the same preschool. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher in Ms. Nichole, and we loved the convenience of holding class at her house (she lived in the next neighborhood over, so more often than not, Aurora rode her bike to class!). We were very blessed to have so many things come together and make this arrangement work so well. I felt Celeste was almost "over-prepared" when she finally made it to kindergarten, and I suspect Aurora will be the same way. I'm so glad Nichole encouraged my girls to learn and grow.

When it was all over, Aurora and I headed home, and I couldn't stop staring at my little girl and thinking how much bigger she suddenly looked. We stared at each other, as if to ask, "Now what?" What, indeed? We have one more summer together, and then it's time to prepare her for the next big step in her life. It's a step that Aurora is much more ready for than I am! Our school does all-day kindergarten, and the thought of that much time every day by myself is still almost too much to contemplate. Some days I can't wait for all my kids to be in school, and some days I don't feel ready for that time to come. But it's coming very soon now, and I sure hope both Aurora and I are ready! In the meantime, we will do our best to enjoy the summertime together.