a fourth year "graduate" (and a class clown)

Today my sister Amber and I held graduation ceremonies at Little Learners Preschool. This was Julia's 4th (and not even final) graduation exercise. Yes, she has been attending (and napping through) preschool at my sister's home her entire life.

Usually Amber and I are ecstatic and ready to crash on the couch after the final class day, but this year's graduation was a little bitter-sweet for me as it was the last at Little Learners.

Most of you know that I have been teaching with my fun and funny sister Amber for seven of the ten years she has held preschool. It is finally time for her to take a break. As talented as she is and as much as she loves teaching, I am thrilled for her to gain more time (and space in her house!) for herself. But you better believe I will miss my days teaching with her.

So much of my life is tied to that preschool. I remember studying for college exams on my commute to Lehi two or five days a week, missing my preschool students when I had to be away student teaching, creating love notes for Jonny during playtime with construction paper and crayons, teaching my nieces Jillian and Allyson (who are now 10 and 7), being surprised by fiance Jonny who'd show up at school once in a while and win the kids' hearts by doing magic tricks and dancing with me, team-teaching with a dear friend Megan Wadsworth, hugging several of my darling students who attended my wedding reception, sitting on those tiny chairs while being humongously pregnant with Julia and Gabe, wearing baby Julia and then baby Gabe in the Moby wrap while leading singing time, listening to the noisy playtime from the other room while nursing a baby, Amber being so accommodating and making my work schedules comply with nap times, matching Amber and the kids on field trips in lime green t-shirts, watching movies and eating raisenettes while Amber and I did prep work, laughing so very hard with Amber at the funny things the kids say and do, fishing thumbtacks and dried-up pieces of play dough out of the mouths of curious crawling babies (Allyson, Julia, Gabe, and Brady!), realizing how important classroom management is and really getting good at it, loving witnessing so many "a-ha moments" for the kids, being amazed by Amber's energy and creativity, trying to keep a crazy Gabe from wreaking complete havoc during circle time, and being accidentally called "Miss Melody" at home by my own little learner Julia. 

Okay, that list ended up being longer than I intended. And I could go on and on. Maybe Amber and I will get together to reminisce - perhaps over some well-deserved pedicures? I'll call you, Amber.

Anyway, the point is, the last seven years (there was one in the last eight when I didn't teach, as I was student teaching full-time before graduating) have been incredibly fun, difficult, exhausting, enlightening, and entertaining ones. Luckily Amber and I are such good friends that we'll still see each other plenty. And luckily I will be teaching my own mini-class from my own home next year to (finally) pre-k Julia and some neighborhood friends, so I don't have to say goodbye to preschool teaching just yet.

P.S. Amber says she will likely "come out of retirement" when her last little one Brady is 3 or 4. So this isn't totally the end for her either. I say enjoy the time off, Amber! You deserve it.

Now to post some pictures, which is all I meant to do in the first place!

 (Yes, she is the only one with a black felt hat. We ran out of the blue ones so at the last minute Amber dug up an old one from another year! Phew. Crisis averted.)

 And just in case you are wondering why Gabe didn't attend the graduation, watch this video of our little class clown hamming it up at preschool a few months ago. You will understand why I left him at Aunt Cami's house...