Cal's Kindergarten Graduation - Take 1

Cal, on his Kindergarten Graduation Day (Take 1)

Cal graduated from Kindergarten for the first time a couple of weeks ago (on May 22nd).  The ceremony took place in the small gym in the back of the school he’s attended since he was 18 months old.  Some might call this a daycare (complete with a private Kindergarten), but I’ve always referred to it as school – not only do they have a formal curriculum around which all activities are structured, but I’ve always thought it was just plain old cute to call it “school,” even when Cal was getting his third tooth.

The ceremony had all the makings of the graduation ceremonies I remember participating in.  Caps and gowns.  Marching in to “Pomp and Circumstance.”  Speeches from the Administrators and Teacher.  Readings by select kids (Cal was one!).  Handing out of diplomas.  A class performance.  And a toss of caps into the air.  In all, it lasted maybe 15 minutes.  I think it was really closer to 10.  It was perfect for the milestone, if the milestone was to be celebrated.

Cal’s entourage included Dan, me and Ella; Grandma Reiter and Grandpa Fred; Grandma and Papa Leatherman; and Grandpa Reiter, a former Superintendent who, early in his tenure, put an end to celebrating Kindergarten graduations in his district because, really, it’s just a little too much “pomp” for the “circumstance.”  I don’t disagree.  It’s not like these kids spent a few grueling years of daily homework, research papers and frequent tests.  A year of crayons, glue and occasional weekend homework just doesn’t seem to warrant a celebration any different than, say, a little more of that in First Grade.

That said, I may have been the only person who cried during the ceremony.  No kidding.  I shed tears.  I didn’t plan it.  It just happened… more than once, of course when the kids first marched in to Pomp and Circumstance, but also when Mrs. Dunham talked about their year together and (I think) when Cal’s name was announced.  If I’m crying during my kid’s first graduation from Kindergarten, an achievement that I believe is over-celebrated, I’m going to be a blubbering fool for his high school and college graduations, or any celebration of Cal, for that matter.  In my defense, I cry every time I see Rudy run onto the field and make his official tackle.  I’m just a crier.  I don’t think it was necessarily the situation that brought it out of me… but I sure was proud of my kid (and, really, all of his classmates whom I’ve come to know over the years).

After the ceremony, my tears air dried (I knew Dan and my mother-in-law had seen them, but I wasn’t about to wipe them and draw any more attention to them), we met the graduates in their classroom for a small reception.  There was cake and punch.  A video montage played in the back of the room, flashing candids from the school year with intermittent video clips of the kids reading and/or speaking to the camera.  I never did see Cal’s clip – we had Choo Choo Johnny’s to hit for a celebratory dinner and cut our stay at the reception short.

With Cal’s entourage out the door, I found myself wanting to do one more thing before I followed them.  I walked over to Cal’s teacher and gave her a hug, telling her that she really did a fantastic job with Cal, that we really appreciated all of the work that she puts into her job and that she’s an excellent teacher.  I believe that.  Cal’s been with Mrs. Dunham since before he was in Kindergarten and before she was a Kindergarten teacher.  She makes it a point to recognize the potential in each kid and challenges him to tap into it.  I credit Ally with Cal’s remarkable reading abilities for his age.  That he’s also creative, pretty sharp and incredibly inquisitive may very well be in his genes; Ally just makes it a point to facilitate regular reinforcement and encouragement of those traits.

This was Cal’s first stint in Kindergarten.  With a December birthday, he technically wasn’t old enough to start Kindergarten last fall; so he’s really due to do so this coming August.  When the Director at his current school told us that they thought Cal was ready for Kindergarten and would we like to put him into their private Kindergarten program, we jumped on the opportunity.  When she told us he could just do Kindergarten twice, then (once at his current school, and again in public school), we thought that was nutty.  If he did well in his first year in Kindergarten, why not just put him right into First Grade in public school?  Mostly, we were worried he’d be bored, and this would lead to other issues.

He did well in Kindergarten.

Then we thought about maturity.  While Cal’s always been pretty good at fitting comfortably in to social settings, he has his idiosyncracies (freaking out about his pants hitting the tops of his feet, for one) that we’d hate to be problematic in First Grade and that another year might help to address.  And, just as important, did we want him to be the smallest and youngest in the sports he chooses to play or the biggest and oldest?  With the latter as the obvious preference and figuring another year to mature would be beneficial, we decided his first year of public school would be spent in another round of Kindergarten.  It would be different enough and with new opportunities that we really believe (hope?) he won’t be bored.

It's not that we stressed regularly about our decision, but it really seemed like a big one.  Sure, it's Kindergarten vs. First Grade; but I feel like we're setting the stage for Cal's life with this single decision.  With this single decision, we set him on a path with different potential friends, different potential teammates, different experiences altogether than he would have been had we put him into First Grade now.

I find comfort in knowing we weren’t alone in our decision.  Most others in Cal’s Kindergarten class who weren’t old enough to start Kindergarten in public school this year are doing the same.

So we, along with Cal's grandparents, celebrated Cal's first Kindergarten graduation with a dinner at Choo Choo Johnny's, Cal's restaurant of choice.  I may have asked him ten times over the course of the week leading up to his day if he wanted to go to "B-DUBS AND GET MAGGIE MOOS AFTERWARD or Choo Choo Johnny's and just get ice cream there?"  Each time he answered definitively, "Choo Choo Johnny's," resisting my obvious suggestion that he pick B-Dubs and Maggie Moos.  The kid knows what he likes and wants.  Maybe next year, for Kindergarten Graduation - Take 2, he'll pick B-Dubs.  I know it'll be in the mix of choices, and maybe he'll have matured his way out of Choo Choo Johnny's.