Kindergarten and Beyond

I was finishing my daily morning walk listening to the songs of Queen propelling my steps with strut. It was a beautiful morning with brilliant blue skies. “Bohemian Rhapsody” was filling my sensory world as I turned the corner headed for home. I immediately paused the music, for there, standing on the corner was a young boy with is parents. He wore a name tag which hung from the tiny sized lanyard around his neck. His name was James and he was proudly waiting for the kindergarten bus to pick him up. This was his first day of school. I was especially drawn to him as two of my own grandchildren are new kindergarteners as well.

I stopped and offered words of enthusiastic encouragement to him. Honestly, I was on the verge of tears as I recalled so well the rite of passage this day brings. His parents must have thought I was a bit strange to linger in his glow, but I just couldn’t help it. I remember standing on that same corner with my own children fighting a flood of emotions, but so excited as they embarked on the world of  discovery and independence.

As I reflect on the tenure of my motherhood, ranking up there with my infant sleeping through the night and dropping my 18 year off at college is the journey through kindergarten. I loved being privy to their school environment. Murals of woodland trees, science labs with caterpillars awaiting the transformation into butterflies, and walls and walls of artwork inspired by Eric Carle and Dr. Seuss lined the hallways. The entire atmosphere reflected a quest for learning.

Part of a parent’s joy in letting their child go into the world of education is knowing there are kind and supportive hands ready to pick up where a mother’s reach or a father’s loving gaze leave off. The sweet and supple minds open up to the world of reading, art expression, new friends, and the hopeful sprouts of self-confidence and belief in themselves. Kindergarteners learn the power of kindness, cooperation, and friendship. They are guided by the sweet and encouraging faces of their teachers and librarians. I mean, have you ever met a kindergarten teacher whose face doesn’t light up when he or she smiles? Imagine being surrounded by such encouraging aura 6 hours a day. And the first time your child reads to you is nothing short of moment-stopping delight.

I was slightly tempted to go on another walk about the time the afternoon kindergarten bus was due to arrive, but I thought James’ parents might then want to move from the crazy neighborhood woman. Instead, I’ll occasionally (well, maybe a bit more than occasionally) offer to pick up my own grandchildren from school. There is nothing I love more than to learn from children, and there is just so much to learn from kindergarteners.

As the crickets sing the songs of summer’s end,  I think about all those porous minds who’ll walk into their classrooms. From kindergarten to the post-college graduate students, I hope your eagerness to learn will propel you towards a journey of great innovation, stretch, and curiosity. God knows the world needs you to shine brightly and extend your knowledge forward. And for the littlest students whose big backpacks seem way too big for little shoulders, I hope your first days of school will be full of wonder and fabulous circle times. The world can’t wait to hear all about it.