Welcome to Summer!

It’s that time of year! The last day of school. Can you hear the kids (and teachers) shout with joy?!

Katie just got off the bus two hours ago. She is officially a second grader. When I woke her for school this morning, I told her to stay a first grader forever and stop growing. Miss Sassy Pants retorted, “NO!” I told her if she doesn’t go to school for the last day of first grade, she’ll stay a first grader forever, so maybe I’d keep her home today. She didn’t like that idea one bit! She said she really really wants to be a second grader. When I asked why, she said because then she can be a third grader and fourth grader and fifth grader. I choked on the thought and told her to STOP SAYING THAT! She laughed. Oh, well. I guess I have to let her grow up sometime, right?

Like last year, we had a little Welcome to Summer celebration when the kids got off the bus. I let them run through the finish line banner as their entry to summer.

Then we gathered to eat a cookie cake on my front lawn. The kids talked about their last day at school and begged the adults to take them to the swimming pool.

Katie had a MOUND of paperwork in her backpack for me to sort during Jackson’s nap. I’m drowning in school papers now! But I had a little gift of my own in her backpack. Katie’s teacher had all the kids write me thank you notes for helping them in class all year and for making them a video that we watched at yesterday’s class party. I was so moved by those sweet little letters!

My other favorite thing in her backpack was the packet with a sample of her writing from the third day of school compared to her current writing. I love seeing such a huge gap between the two to prove what I already know in my heart: my daughter has taken another step on the journey to independence. Do high schoolers come home with significant growth evidence such as this? Does the learning ever plateau to where it isn’t quite so obvious? I will cherish this blatant proof of growth for as long as I can!