I last talked about Olivia’s preschool experience back in November and now she’s done with it and I can’t believe how fast it went.
It was kind of strange, only ever meeting her teacher face to face at their preschool graduation. But her teacher has been amazing through this whole year. Olivia talks about her all the time and was really sad to be done.
I told her I understood. I had a hard time with the end of fifth grade. It was the only school experience I had known and I had to face the mystery of starting middle school when I was very much still just a child. I had a hard time saying goodbye to my teacher, and I remember looking her name up in the Yellow Pages not long after school got out. I envisioned myself riding my bike over to her house, sitting outside with her drinking lemonade and she would give me all these wise words. It was all very Tuesdays With Morrie and I’m such a weirdo. What actually happened was I rode my bike a few times past her house and then never saw her again.
But I had a hard time leaving Olivia’s preschool. Not too long ago, we were leaving ECFE and I knew we’d never see her teachers again unless I got pregnant. Which as we know I did, and I got to return with the baby and even Olivia got to see her teachers. Preschool was a building of strangers, a new experience (can you tell I struggle with change?), and we had to get used to a whole new system.
Now, besides for her home, it’s been her safe space. Only having 9-10 kids in her class, she quickly got to know each one and their names became regulars in our homes. I adore her director, who was actually one of her first preschool teachers there when Olivia started in Friday Friends. And it actually was nice doing drop off and pick up from the car with Emelia in tow. Besides for the first week of class, the whole school never shut down from COVID, and Olivia’s class never did, except when they closed a day for cleaning after the exposure in another classroom.
Everyone there went above and beyond to keep them safe and I’m so grateful for that.
We never got the in-person events. There was no grandparents’ day, no mornings with mom, no programs, no fundraising events. Honestly, I’m glad they didn’t do them, but it just sucks not to have those. I’m hoping to get back to them with Emelia once she’s old enough to go.
Olivia’s little graduation was so nice. We did end up having it indoors since it looked like it could rain, but they sang a few songs and then got to “cross” a bridge to get their little diploma. She got to keep her tassel, which of course we can no longer find in the cesspool that is our house.
The next week, she did get to do a little gardening summer camp there, so we had a gradual goodbye, which was nice. They got to plant radishes, explore the church garden, and talk about bugs.
Now it’s going to be on to kindergarten and I just am in shock I have a kindergartener.
