Hello and happy Thursday!
I hope you are having a great week. Today, I’m sharing a Thursday Thoughts post.
On the WordPress app, they usually post a daily prompt and this one struck a chord with me the second I saw it:
Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.
I immediately thought of the kids’ elementary years. Starting in kindergarten, I knew from the start to treasure that phase of life for them. While I know I’m blessed with two kids, having two at once just makes it feel like time moves that much quicker. And…I feel like I don’t get to experience certain phases of life and milestones again since we don’t have a third. There was one first day of kindergarten. There was one 3rd grade zoo field trip. There was one Dr. Seuss “Cat in the Hat” performance. So, I always made it a priority to help with the class parties, take a personal day to go on the field trip, buy them too many books at the book fair and more.
After elementary school, the “magic” of school and learning seems to slip away a little bit more every year. Also, there just aren’t field trips, field day, chorus concerts, class parties and all the other special events that elementary school provides.
The kids made so many memories during those years, formed friendships, learned so much and had so much fun. So many of their core values and experiences that shaped them as learners and little humans happened in the classrooms in that building.
Covid put an end to that. They went home on Friday, March 13, 2020, finished their 4th grade year on Zoom/Google Classroom, spent most of 5th grade doing work at home or at the neighborhood “pod” of classmates. They went back to school wearing masks on March 3, 2021 but with plexi-glass around their desks as an attempt to minimize germs. Their 5th grade graduation was held in the gym, but no family could attend. Instead, we watched at home via the live stream.
I’m so thankful the kids were celebrated and were together with their classes, but it would have been nice to have the option of an outdoor ceremony or even a limit of two family members per student.
I know the administrators were making the best decision at the time, and I’m grateful for technology to still “be there” for the special milestone.
Registering for Kindergarten:
First day of K:
Last day of 5th grade:
{I must admit that I did love being at home with them during the online school days. I’m blessed that I could be home with them thanks to my job as a teacher too. I was never a stay at home mom (besides in the summer), and (mostly) loved helping them with their school work and having some extra free time with them…but I do think we were out of school for entirely too long! We all should have headed back to the classroom sooner.}
I will always look back fondly on their elementary school years.
We owe a lot to those teachers and that school. It’s bittersweet that we didn’t have the proper goodbye.
Excuse me while I go grab a tissue! haha
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