Last Day of School

The teacher appreciation gifts were made. Each one tied with a pink bow while thinking how they had impacted Joseph through the year.

Mrs. G who entered the first grade classroom for the first time with energy and love. She was as proud of Joseph's accomplishments as I was. She and I cheered his successes, fretted his difficulties, and cried with joy when he overcame them.

Miss C in her tight dresses and high heels who calls all the kids her babies and hugs them with abandon, never letting a single child feel left out and making sure that they all knew how important they were.

Mrs. G who could take credit the first time Joseph said "SPider" rather than "Pider", who laughed with me over the difficulties in speech classes when teeth started falling out, and who told me not to worry, he's almost ready to leave her class.

Mrs. K who spent the early morning hours with Joseph, patiently helping him through his reading homework and praising all his progress.

Mrs. Q who told Joseph he was as bright as a rainbow fish and just as beautiful.

At open house, they told me of his big smile, his joy of life, his enthusiasm, his intelligence, his kindness, his quick humor, and his patience. They painted a picture of a little boy who loves going to school.

It was a crazy year, first grade. The gentleness of kindergarten had been replaced by real homework, real challenges, and real expectations. At the beginning of the year, I fretted over the fact that he no longer had a bathroom in his class, that he'd have to wander the campus alone. Now, I see him with his shoulders back, marching to the office, waving a big hello to his Principal who stops him and asks how he likes the latest Magic Treehouse Book he's reading. And Joseph tell him, in a matter of fact tone, that it's pretty good because Will Shakespeare seems like a good guy. Mr. S agrees and the two of them move on.

Yesterday, I picked Joseph up and listened as Mrs. G said goodbye to her first graders. Tears welled in my eyes as Joseph walked towards me with a big grin.

And just like that, I have a second grader.

A second grader who asked for fish tacos with chipotle avocado sauce for an after school snack and chatted with me while squeezing his lemon over the fish because, "It makes it taste a little more flavorful."

How did the last year go so fast?