Sam Graduates! (Really!)

Sam graduated from kindergarten this past Friday.

I am going to assume that there is a very sound reason for kindergarten graduations which comes from Madame Montessori. You might as well too. :-) (As Aunt Ruth just said, "I can't believe Sam's graduated--seems like just last week he was in kindergarten.")

Sam actually has some things to be proud of, and I am happy to reinforce that.

The kids marched in to Pomp and Circumstance.

Sam was second, and showed great gravitas. The kindergartners sang the Beatle's When I'm 64 and The Rainbow Connection. The Directress Dana (the very tall blonde woman) read a poem by Khalil Gibran which actually wasn't at all trite. The parents had half a dozen videocameras with tripods lined up in back and various cameras in the audience, most of which were worth more than our accord. The third graders, who were doing some sort of moving-on ceremony, read a very nice poem they wrote themselves.

And after all this they fed us a pleasant brunch while the kids ran around and the parents looked at displays with photos from all stages of the lives of their five-year-olds.

Ms. Mulvaney is the super-pregnant one. She is a superb teacher who is able to ride herd over two dozen kids while knowing each of them and knowing what they need, what their strengths are, and what's coming next for them. I have been very impressed with her, not only her willingness to impose discipline but to also show compassion when Sam was struggling.

It's been a tough time for Sam as he's gotten a younger brother (and is no longer the center of attention), and is facing moving to first grade and leaving behind his best friend Ethan. And for that matter, he's saying goodbye to Ms. Mulvaney, his teacher of two years. Six hours per day, she gets more time with him than I do and almost more than Susan does.

So Sam's been acting out both at home and at school. Last week he wrote "Ethan" on a pot in the entryway--a big no-no of course--and rather than come down on him (which she would normally have done), she gave him a hug, knowing the transition he's dealing with.

That's a teacher.

Next year he'll do first grade at the same school. We know they'll do an excellent job (the classroom atmosphere is great, the kids learn a lot, and the teacher-to-student ratio is fantastic), and he's had enough transitions for now.

P.S.--added two photos to the Rockets & Projectiles post.