Left: Dressed for first day at KIP. Right: At spring program last week.
As of today at 1:00 p.m., Simon will no longer be a preschooler. Today is his last day ever at KIP, a fact that I’m resigned to but not overwhelmingly happy about. For as much as we’re both excited about kindergarten, new friends, and all the amazing things he’ll learn next year, this place has been his home for four years. He’s known every nook and cranny of the building, been familiar with every teacher, and grown up alongside most of his classmates.
And I have had the security of knowing that the teachers there have understood Simon, cared about him, and treated him like family. It’s hard to say goodbye to a place like that. Thankfully, I won’t be saying goodbye to everyone. Three others will be at Brandeis next year, and Simon will be doing some camp sessions with two friends this summer. There’s also the matter of the KIP website, which I have yet to train staff to update and take over. It’s the digital lipstick left in the metaphoric car and a guarantee that I’ll see some of these familiar faces a little longer.
But it won’t be the same. So thank you, KIP, for all that you taught my son: lining up, sitting down, and colors in the Itsy Bitsies; sequencing, social skills, and how to hook your thumbs in your undies to pull them up in the Twos; cutting, the alphabet, Spanish, and how to hold a pencil in the Threes; and basic reading and math, some history, biology and nature, and a host of other subjects too long to name in the amazing Fours. If he’s ready for kindergarten, it’s because of you, especially Ms. Andrea and Ms. Diana this year.
Ready or not, he officially becomes a kindergartener today. Let the adventure begin!