Duncan's Big Day

Friday, May 25, 2007

Excitement abounds in our home today, and it's all about Duncan. As a perfect ending to his kindergarten year, Duncan finished the last lesson of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. There was a time when I thought we would never finish this book, but he has really clicked with reading in the past couple of months, and we flew through the last 20 lessons in about a week. Duncan was actually a wee bit sad to finish this book; he even hid it and said he was keeping it forever. (Don't worry, partyoffive, I know where he hid it!)

But that was just the beginning of the day. The rest of the day was devoted largely to getting ready for Duncan's kindergarten graduation. We didn't have kindergarten graduation where I came from, but I have to say I love it. There is something so precious about seeing these little ones in their gowns, hats askew, and imagining them in 12 years, tall and a little nervous. Now the lump in my throat is about seeing the man he'll be in that baby face; then the lump will be seeing the man himself.

The graduation itself was beautifully done. Best of all, I didn't have to do anything other than get there and bring my snack/drink contribution. I'm so used to organizing things that it's a tremendous treat to have other people carrying the load. The theme was "I Knew You Could," based on the sequel to classic The Little Engine That Could.

Lots of kids did individual performances; they sang a group song; had a slideshow; and read the book I Knew You Could Do It. The best part is that the parents get to hand the child the diploma and switch the tassel. As each child came up on stage, the Mom/emcee read few things each parent had written about the child (according to a set of questions given by the coordinator). Here is what she read for Duncan: "Duncan's favorite subject is math. He also loves to write and color. His favorite thing to do is play with his friends. He plays soccer and is looking forward to being in Cub Scouts. Anyone who knows Duncan thinks of him with his big smile. He is compassionate and kind and will be a friend to everyone. He wants to be a motorcycle driver when he grows up. The name Duncan is Celtic, meaning "dark warrior." James is a family name. He shares it with a cousin, uncle, grandfather, and great-great grandfather from Ireland (who would have been the Irish version, Seamus)."
It was fun to watch Duncan's face when she read the meaning of his name. He loved the idea of being a Dark Warrior.

After all 17 kids got their kisses and diplomas, we prayed and headed out for refreshments.

It was a beautiful evening. I feel so amazingly blessed not only to be able to homeschool our children, but to be part of this wonderful homeschooling community. When I kissed Duncan good-night, I said, "We sure had a fun kindergarten year." And he responded, "You are the best teacher, Mama." Be still, my heart.

(And while this post is all about Duncan tonight, the one bummer was that Jesse had to miss his little brother's graduation. He had a Boy Scout Board of Review that he had to attend tonight. The awesome news is that he scored very high on his review and has now reached Star rank!)