All good things

Today, two said goodbye to first grade. And I said goodbye to Mrs. Chunta who has been the first grade teacher to four of my children. That is a big deal to me. So with plastic leis around our necks we dined on fruit kabobs. I watched as Meya bounced around the room passing out goodbye hugs like candy. Then Mrs. Chunta announced that the books they'd been writing for the past two months had arrived "fresh off the press from the publisher!" And I sat in a small, first-grade chair and listened to my children read their books to me.

Today, Madi said goodbye to fifth grade...and Hamilton Elementary School. Oh the celebration! (This school may be small in population, but it does everything BIG). There was the 5th grade skating rink party on Tuesday, the pool party on Wednesday, and the graduation ceremony with "Pomp and Circumstance" playing in the background. We pulled Leasie out of her 3rd grade class so she could watch her sister.
And I'm left feeling so grateful to this place and to the people who have molded my children's lives. Mrs. Kessler was a brand new teacher to Hamilton this year, and I confess, I was skeptical. But she turned out to be exactly what Madi needed. She was fun. She LOVED science and math and made it cool. (She even kind of looked like Madi.) She was a great teacher and an even better role model.
How could I not get teary as I looked at Madi with her group of friends? She's been with five of these girls since Kindergarten! They are so grown up and beautiful - all of them!
Yes, I'm sad to leave Hamilton. Yes, I'm worried about what the future holds for my children. And yes, I wonder if what we're doing is the right thing for them. But, here's what I do know. With all the learning, friendships, firsts, and lasts, there was a lot of good in this goodbye. This has been a good place. My son's smile on the last day of school says it all.