The last week of school always comes with mixed emotions.
There’s the pride and sense of accomplishment you feel as parents for your children. In addition, however, there is a sense of finality and loss that hits home.
There are so many proud moments for parents, but, for me, it’s these times, such as finishing up a grade, when you inevitably take stock of what your kids are becoming, reflect on their achievements in the classroom, can see the gains on the social and maturation fronts and think about how much they have changed and learned that heavily move the heart.
A lot changes over the course of a school year, particularly when they are so young, and when the weight of that is realized there usually are a few “lump in the throat” moments over the closure of a school year.
Along with the personal side with your kids is the bond you develop over the course of the nine-month school year with the teachers. In my kids’ early school careers, they have each been blessed with thoughtful, experienced and caring teachers and staff members who we have come to view as family members in many ways.
For Carson, 6, he wraps up his kindergarten year today. He has been going to school since he turned 3 and this has by far been his best year.
Because he will be going to summer school to continue to work on his skills and address some of his delays, the last day of school is not as monumental for him. Nonetheless, it was an opportunity to reflect, like I assume it is for all parents. Carson is making strides and at his young age with his disabilities that is gratifying on many levels.
Nothing comes easy to Carson in life, but we measure success for him by progress, not necessarily achievements. There’s no question that has occurred throughout the year and it’s his team of professionals that work with him on a daily basis in and out of the classroom that deserve a lot of the credit.
Being non-verbal, Carson is a challenge on the education front. His teachers and aides understand we as parents without their communication are unware of what happens at school because he can’t communicate with us. He has a device to help him speak, but he still has a long way to go as far as being able to participate in a conversation on that front. His teacher has afforded us some special attention as a result by giving us daily communication and we will forever be grateful for that extra effort.
For Beckett, 8, last week was his last as a second grader. It’s was nice to see him be reflective about it. When I asked him what he was feeling with school ending, he didn’t have much to say. Since he’s typically verbose, I took that to mean his emotions were mixed. He eventually did say, “I feel a lot actually.”
I was excited about his response because it shows to me some depth of thought. He wasn’t simply looking to jump to the next grade and get to summer. He was showing some sentimentality. He will miss his friends over the summer and no longer have the same teacher, who I know he will miss dearly. When I told him he can always stop and visit his teacher next year, he shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “it’s not the same, it won’t be the same.” He’s right about that. When I tried to dig deeper, he shut down and changed the subject. It’s a guy thing. I understand it.
Above all we are proud of him and his brother for wanting to go to school each day. Each have had ups and downs throughout the school year, but through it all each wake up and never give us a hard time about school.
That can’t be taught, and we don’t take their will for granted. It’s one of the many things to be proud of during this last week of school.
Another emotion Pam and I were feeling these last couple weeks involved being fortunate. We loved our kids’ teachers. Every school year brings challenges with our kids and some conversations with their teachers that don’t always consist of everything parents want to hear. It’s nothing terrible, but they are works in progress to be certain. Many parents surely go through similar experiences.
The point here is their teachers mean a lot to us and the end of the school year essentially means that close and personal relationship is coming to an end. There’s a finality to it all that can bring on deep emotions.
Sure, we will see them again in the halls or out in the community, but the relationship will never be the same, as Beckett put it. It’s a sad parting.
When I heard Beckett having those mixed emotions, and I like to assume Carson was feeling the same way, I read him something that his first grade teacher posted near the end of last year’s school year to let him know it was perfectly normal to feel what he was because his parents and teachers share in that.
The post read, “I call my students ‘my kids’ because in our year together they aren’t just kids on my class list, they become a part of my heart.”
I like to believe this is how all teachers think.
