Steering ahead - pre-k graduation reflection
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” - Dr Seuss, ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go!’
Luckily, at age 4, my daughter is yet to be on her own. But, man, does she know how to steer! At 4 she can do things I couldn’t do. She wants to do things I had no desire to do. Mainly due to the high demands on school aged children, the pressure has been pushed all the way down to the shoulders of the 4 year old children in pre-k. But boy, did she learn a lot. And boy, did she love learning it.
Of course we had the tough days, where she didn’t want to wake up, didn’t want to go, but she pushed ahead. Some days ended in tears, but mostly they ended with some new fact - as simple as who was absent, what special classes she had, or how much she disliked the lunch I packed. She played school with her little brother, sometimes our entire family, and I learned about her day through her role play.
This week her teacher sent home her ‘ABC’ book, her class journal, and a series of self portraits from throughout the year. It was overwhelming. To see, and I mean literally SEE the difference in her handwriting, her drawing, and her skills was nothing short of amazing. She was so proud of her work, we sat and looked at every page and she commented on a drawing or a word here and there. It is such an amazing keepsake and I thank her fabulous teacher for this gift.
Today she ‘graduates’ from pre-k. We got a new dress, decided on a hairdo that won’t interfere with her graduation cap, and off we go. Off she goes. Turning 5 next week, steering her feet in her own direction, at her own pace, ready to take on the world of kindergarten in the fall.
Posted by Erica
Photo: William Eggleston
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