I knew from the teachers as well as the program from last year that as a graduate from the 4-year old class Jake would be a team leader for one of the songs and recite a line into the microphone announcing something their class had learned from the past year. As a matter of fact we were given a slip of paper with the line he had to learn over Memorial weekend so we could help him memorize it. The funny thing was that Jadyn had it down pat about 24 hours sooner than Jake. But boy was I surprised when we arrived at the ceremony and sat down to peruse the program, only to see Jake's name listed as the student to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. A couple of us began joking that I should save the program to put on his college application because well you know, it's so competitive now you never know how far back they might go. In all seriousness though, it was pretty neat to have him singled out for such an honor. He got to tell everyone to please rise for the pledge. He recited it into the microphone as we all said the familiar words and he asked everyone to please be seated at the end. It was really cute.
The program then continued through songs like the ABC Disco, Little Red Wagon, 5 Little Fishes and the Letter Sounds, which was the song that Jake team led on after reciting his line, "We learned to clean up after ourselves". However, the best part of the program was to see how comfortable Jake was center stage in front of the crowd of parents, family members and friends literally singing and dancing his heart out. He was one of the loudest singers, one of the most animated dancers and after the program, several parents commented how he was the life of the party up there. What a difference 2 years can make.
And so while yes Jake learned his ABCs, letter sounds, how to cut with scissors, glue and write his name, those were all things I could have taught him at home. However, seeing him go from being a painfully shy mamma's boy to a confident outgoing 5-year-old is priceless. And I know in my heart that not only did I make the right decision by sending him to preschool but that the preschool I sent him to, the teachers, his classmates and the parents were all the exact perfect fit for not only Jake but our family.
I have some pictures of Jake with his teachers, his classmates and up on stage singing, dancing and delivering his lines as well as a short montage of the moments he danced the most and him reciting his line. Special thanks to Rose over at Beyer Life for the additional photos she got with her new camera (very cool) including a few of Jadyn before we went inside for the program and a hilarious shot of Jake and Gavin making faces at each other on stage.
These programs are so fun to watch and just like last year, I was super impressed with what the teachers managed to accomplish with about 30 or so preschool age children. It was really well-organized and a joy to watch. I know Jake will miss a lot about his preschool. But because of everything he experienced there, I also know he is prepared and excited to go to Kindergarten in the fall and that he is off to a bright start.
What a great post! Brag away! He sure deserves it!
ReplyDelete