Ready for First Grade

I am so proud of my sweet graduating Kindergartener.

I remember, back in August, sitting in Jack's classroom at Open House as I read the writings of the previous year's Kindergarten students. There, neatly penned on a paper titled "Why You Will Love Kindergarten!" was a paragraph, written by a Kindergartener to my child, sharing some of his/her thoughts about why Mrs. Ward's class was so much fun. While the writing was undoubtedly that of a 5-6 year old, the composition was impressive. Capital letters, appropriate punctuation, lowercase letters, and properly structured sentences. I know, in that moment, that I held my breath and sighed. Kindergarten was going to be HARD. Jack could barely write his first and last name in ALL CAPITALS after a summer of Kindergarten readiness training. "Well", I thought, "we'll just have to make accommodations for his work. It will be ok. He'll do his best."

This week Jack prepared his "sloppy copy" of his Why You Will Love Kindergarten paragraph each nite for homework. He was quick to decide that he would share about afternoon centers and how you get to choose where you want to go. With some very slight suggestion on how not to get too caught up on what happens when there are too many people in a center and you have to take your second choice, his paragraph took form. One sentence on one night, two the next, and this evening he rewrote his final draft on the official yellow page...and at last the culmination of his effort produced this, which I proudly call A WORK OF ART!!!



It says:
Why You Will Love Kindergarten! by Jack Halbert

At afternoon centers, you can go to lots of centers. You can choose like: blocks, tubs, be a teacher, shelf games, computer center, sand/water table. My favrite center is be a teacher.

It literally brought me to tears tonite as I looked on, so proudly, as he wrote each word, along with his choice of punctuation, meticulously, in what Mrs. Ward calls their "best 1st grade handwriting." I'm proud of the thought involved, his ability to create appropriately structured sentences, his ease with punctuation (he had no help at all on this one) and the ease at which he wrote 35 words in one sitting with no complaint or resistance. It has been an amazing year and I am so thankful to his teacher for being a loving, nurturing guide and instructor who has fostered such a wonderful spirit of learning and quiet confidence in our boy. What a remarkable journey Kindergarten has been.

I faced Elementary school this time last year with great trepidation. Jack was unwilling and I was unsure. However, I'm happy to say that I, along with Jack, look forward to first grade for the adventure that it will be!