and now, we are done with kindergarten, and it took me almost a month to blog about it

to be honest, I think 'preschool graduation' was a bit harder for me.  not that I was quite the emotional wreck for that either.  I think I got most of my 'devastated she's getting too old' out of my system in her first 4 months of life.  when I think of my postpartum issues, that was one of them.  but once I got through that, I have been okay staying in the mindset of enjoying the heck out of each moment and stage, because I cannot stop time, and I'm damn lucky to have her.

everly also got to do kindergarten twice essentially.  she has a november birthday, which prohibited her from starting kindergarten until she was officially 5.  and, looking back on the past two years, I'm not at all mad about it.  she had a pretty intense kindergarten experience, meaning SO much learning.  if she didn't get to have transitional kindergarten, I think this year would have had a very different outcome.  there is NO WAY that my kid would have been able to manage this year being 4 for four months of it.  so, sometimes state decisions work out in your favor, and we can say that we ended kindergarten meeting and exceeding standards, which really means reading, writing, and doing some pretty high-level math.  and no, we don't need to debate if this is right or wrong, it just is the way it is right now in education.  I'm sure in the next decade we will be back to being happy they can use a glue stick by kindergarten graduation [or maybe not, you know, China and all].

^outfit change for the party^

our present for her hard work this year, Samantha!  she even got a graduation cap and gown for the special occasion!

her favorite cake - lemon from nothing bundt cakes, because, you know, she's gertie, my 80 year old

and here' a little first day of kindergarten, last day of kindergarten comparison...

I think it is funny she ENDS kindergarten with all her teeth, feels like it should be the other way around.  and yes, that isn't our front door.  we take the 'door photo' by my mom's front door since she lives right by the school, and I literally had to leave my class to go take everly to her first day of school, so we had to do with what we had [don't worry, I had someone cover my classes].  and even more dramatic, had to get a substitute teacher for the last day of school, but hey, there are some mom moments I'm not going to miss!

here's a little moment remember this milestone, probably one we won't have again for a while [who knows, sometimes 5th and 8th get a celebration, sometimes they don't - another educational pendulum].

Kindergarten Graduation from Lyndsay Lewis on Vimeo.

music: the likes of us - all together now
all photos and video shot on our sony a6500
photos edited with a color story

and finally, here's preschool graduation and here

first day of kindergarten

everly had her first day of kinder on thursday.  I'm so proud of how resilient this little lady is.  she has been to three different schools in the past three years [private pre-school, TK only offered at a few places, and now her forever elementary school].  however, she has always been so excited to go to a new school, meet new friends, and get to know her teacher.  as much as she is my daughter, she is the exact opposite of me when it comes to going to school.  miss independent is her middle name.  while other littles were clinging and crying to their parents, our daughter gave us the sweetest smile and wave goodbye as she was lined up with her class on the kinder playground, all wearing their little fishy paper nametags.  so thankful for this little smile, especially since I was running back to my own school and my own 6th grade students who were thankfully being watched by my principal for a bit so I could play mom for a minute too!

here are a few of those sweet smiles from the first day of kindergarten!

happy first day of school baby girl!

being a teacher, and a mom

game changer.  the minute my daughter walked into a classroom as a student.
everything that I've ever thought about teaching changed in an instant.
to all you protective mama bears out there, I get it.
I get it in a way I never thought possible.
but I also found myself seeing both sides of everything.
great empathy for the teacher, but still, knowing I wanted my child to have the best first school experience possible, I remember thinking, why couldn't my daughter just have that teacher?!?
And so it began.

Everly started pre-school in the fall, and at orientation we quickly found out her teacher was brand new.  Never taught a day in her life.  Breathe, just breathe.  I remember thinking, "you were a good teacher your first year, just give her a chance".  She seemed enthusiastic, and quickly the parent questions started flying, especially from those returning to the preschool for their second year.  Yes, I remember that.  I remember trying to fake answers that I clearly had no idea about.  "Are you still going to have Super Stars?  Last year, they had Super Stars, is this continuing?" The question, blurted out, and repeated, and repeated once more, and the teacher...already flustered.  Not a great start.

She lasted three class sessions, and was gone.

This past weekend I had the 'involved' parent experience of lining up in the wee hours of the morning to get your kid into 'that' school for the following year. [feel free to exchange out the word 'involved for one of your choosing, I get it]  Yes, there were sleeping bags, and rain, and lots of episodes of the crown on netflix, and eating cold pizza at 4 a.m.  It was that moment.  As the hours went on, the wives began showing up to replace their husband's spots in line, and so the conversations began.  So many times I had to bite my tongue, because, once again, I was finding it so hard to separate myself from being a teacher, and just be a parent.  What, you don't know what a Title I school is?  Wait, you don't know about open-enrollment?  You haven't heard of that school?  These are my thoughts. Because I'm IN this.  I'm so invested in my career.  This is MY district.  I've worked at that school, and with that person, and in that program.  And now, it is my child, and invested is an understatement.  Oh geez, how do I not sound like a crazy lady when talking to the other parents, the non- teacher parents?!?  Not sure.

Teaching in a program that is highly sought after, just like the school I was trying to get my own daughter in, really made me realize that so many times, these 'parent talks' were very much about me. And my teaching style, my strengths, and my weaknesses.  I knew that it happened, but being on the parent side of things just felt strange.  Because I've been a teacher for ten years, and a mother of a student for not even one year yet, I'm finding this balance between the two roles very challenging. And I know that so many others must have felt this way too.

And so, I have now enrolled my daughter in one of the most desired elementary schools in the district, now this next chapter will begin.  One notion that I believe to be true is that I will always find myself balancing between mom and teacher, never really being able to be completely on one side or the other of these roles.  And that will take some navigating. Now I'm off to process that I've registered my daughter for school, officially.

on the first day of pre-school...

yesterday was the first day of pre-school!  everly is attending the same little school I attended back in the 80's, and there is something strangely comforting about sending her there.  oh, and the fact that she's the polar opposite of me when it comes to being left at school is also a big bonus.  she couldn't have been more excited for school.  it probably also helps that she's very familiar with the concept of school since she's been coming to a middle school since she was four months old.  so, what I'm saying is, pre-school is rockin' it on all levels.

today she was so confused as to why I was coming with her again to pre-school since I already attended orientation with her last week, and she knows that daddy is the one who is taking her to pre-school.  she also wasn't sure why we stuck around for so long, apparently she didn't need us there the extra thirty minutes.  and apparently, the first day of school isn't really a big thing.

thankfully, we didn't have a single clothing meltdown.  she appeased me by taking oh so many photos.  and man, did she sure melt my heart by remembering her first teacher's name with such ease, her little, "miss jefferson" is just about the cutest thing I've ever heard.

and yes, they've done these buckets since I was there.  we had a blast decorating her bucket last week!