Here comes the grad? June 20, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Kids , trackbackI have so many posts in my head and no clear idea of what I want to write.
Soleil has pre-kindergarten graduation tomorrow. I have mixed ideas on this. The first is that it is silly. I mean, caps and gowns for 5 year olds? Pa-lee-zzz! Do we need to do this? Pre-kindergarten was great, but a graduation?
But…But…
It is an important change to her life. Her best friend, Rachael, is going to stay in her town, and Soleil will be going to school in our town. They have been in the same day care since they started! Rachael is 2 weeks older than Soleil. Luckily, I have become good friends with Rachael’s parents. This allows us to really still get together. Soleil will be leaving behind the day care life and entering public school life. This is a huge change.
Instead of mom and dad driving both girls to day care, Soleil will walk to the bus stop and take the bus to school. Instead of having mom pick her up, the bus will take her to the after school program. Instead of a single pre-K classroom, she will be in one of 8 kindergartens in her school.
Luna will have a huge change as well. She has always been with her sister. Most days find the girls holding hands in the back seat of the car (I know! so darn cute). Now, Luna will have to strike out on her own. She will be alone at day care, the lone spacekid there. I am hoping she will flourish as she has tried to copy her sister for so long.
I am actually thrilled with the public system in our town (so far). It reminds me of what I grew up in. Small. The graduating class in our town is similar to the size that I grew up in. The physical SIZE of our town is about 1/3 of what I grew up in, but the class size is the same.
So, graduation does mean something here. It is a huge life change for these kids. Maybe they do have a reason after all…
Comments»
Our preschool graduation is Friday. No caps and gowns, but a definite ceremony. I used to go “pshaw!” at the idea, but it really *IS* a big step for the kiddos–going from preschool into “big kids’ school”, even if it’s just kindergarten, is a big change. Our dotter, too, has known some of the kids in preschool from the time she started there.
Awwww. I’m a softie when it comes to this stuff. Yeah, it’s silly. But the cute meter registers HIGH. Take lots of pictures.
Well, it may be an important change in their lives, but I still think the occasion could be marked without making it a parody of graduation, which is supposed to celebrate the acheivements of the kids who slogged their way through 12 years of homework, tests, and final exams. I don’t think graduating from preschool requires anything more than aging, right? Perhaps giving kids the idea that they themselves have accomplished something going from age 4 to age 5 is sorta setting the bar a little low, KWIM? Anyways, congrats on Soleil’s “big move” this September. I’m sure she will look lovely in her cap and gown…but I still think it’s silly!
Prepare for a kindergarten graduation next year — a lot of public schools have them!
I graduated from high school a year early, by examination, so I didn’t get to wear a cap and gown until I graduated from college at age 24. I’d kind of like to get a graduate degree just so I can see what that Ph.D hood feels like.