end of an era

today was maya's last day of preschool. yes, i cried. partly it was sadness at the relentless march of time that has made my babies grow so big so fast. there was a party where the teacher read stories written by the big kids in literacy group ( all five of them) and the kids acted it out. it was an amazing creative collaborative, with kids just jumping in to take parts and no one fighting over who got to play who and how they should do it. they worked it out with just a tiny bit of help. and you could see the end result of two years of preschool--little kids who can cooperate, create their own narratives (with some elements lifted from movies, video games, and pop music--all gamely accepted by the staff which refused to let kids wear commercial characters on clothes), sing, dance, have fun, and express their feelings.

and now it is on to the world of public school, where i have been overwhelmed the past few days with the reality of the need to raise test scores, the need to be in compliance with special education law,and the grim budget scenario. mandates to do lots and lots of things with very little money.

but somehow the kids still seem pretty happy.

politics these days are so scary and the problems seem related to some real basics. not to sound like that person who wrote about all she needed to know she learned in kindergarten, but can't we have a little more creativity and cooperation in congress? if the preschoolers can do it, can't you guys?

at the end of the preschool graduation a beloved teacher (who will now forever be even more beloved) handed out candy necklaces she had made for all the big kids. we had advance notice, and had prepped our 8-year-old with some ice cream before the party. i expected the little kids and siblings to start dropping like flies on the floor crying and yelling as their big friends walked around with shiny candy draped around their necks. but nothing at all. and the big kids started opening their necklaces up to share. miles scored two pieces.

we will miss you very very much room to grow preschool.

xo