A Bit of an Ode to our Gan Shelanu Graduates :-)

To our most recent graduates of Gan Shelanu,

How do we suddenly say goodbye to 22 kids after spending so much time with them?

Firstly, and most importantly, thank you for being you.  Thank you for keeping us on our toes, for having such bold personalities, and for always holding your ground.  Thank you for making mistakes, and thank you for the times you learned from them.  Thank you for letting us help you back up when you’d fall, and for letting us take care of your booboos, whether or not they were made up. 

Thank you for always learning and growing, for giving us opportunities to explore the world all over again through your eyes, and for making sure we are up to date on Paw Patrol.

Thank you for always noticing and complimenting me when I got new shoes and for letting me know if I had a hole in my shirt.  And on that note we always loved when you’d rebel against the social norms of fashion, whether it be earmuffs in July or three tutus layered over a pair of jeans. 

Thank you for endlessly testing my patience when I would try to teach you something, like when during circle a few of your would huddle in the corner comparing nail polish colors.  Thank you for the blank stares when I’d ask you to repeat something I said three seconds ago.  I wanted to throw you all out the window, but it also made me want to try harder as an educator.

Thank you for constantly reminding me how complicated the simple things in life can be, but always reminding me to enjoy and appreciate those same things.  I am sorry for all the times you got a blue plate at lunch time when you wanted a green one, or when simply moving the red chair over one spot to where you wanted to sit was not an option.  I wish I could tell you that this will be the worst disappointment you face in life.

Watching young children build friendships is fascinating.  One moment you’d be punching each other in the face, and the next moment one of you would be throwing him or herself on the floor and screaming because we suggested you not sit with that friend at lunchtime.  But somehow, along the way, amazing friendships were formed.  I love how much you all love each other, and how you had endless things to discuss at mealtimes.  Who knew that you could live off of no food but lots of good conversation?  Some of you are already planning your weddings with each other.  But really, no rush.   

Thank you for sharing your parents with us and letting us sometimes be just as excited to see and talk to them as we would be to see you in the morning.  Thank you for letting us get to know your sabas and savtas too.  You are all so lucky to have such wonderful people helping to take care of you.

Thank you for all the times you made me laugh with you, and at you, but mostly with you. 

Thanks for running at me to give me hugs in the morning as if you hadn’t seen me in days and I’d just returned from sailing around the world.  Thank you for telling me stories that never seemed to end (and then…. and then….).  Thank you for the times you’d just plop down on my lap, not even because you wanted to tell me anything, just because.  Thanks for the hugs and snuggles.  I sometimes needed them as much as you did. 

You were the members of our first ever second class, and then the members of our first ever third class.  We got to watch you grow as you were a part of our gan growing.  Some of you had older siblings in Gan Shelanu before you, and we celebrated your births with pancakes, and then a year or two later were so excited to welcome you to gan too.  Many of you became big brothers and sisters over the past couple of years (so many pancakes), and in a few weeks some of those little brothers and sisters will be starting gan with us.  A few more of them will join us in a year from now.  Our gan has grown with your growing families, and that means so much to us.

So much of the past six years has been built around trial and error (because that’s right, grown-ups make mistakes too), but you kids seem to all be pretty amazing, and I know that we get to take some credit for that, so we must be doing something right, and for that I am endlessly thankful to all of you.