School’s (Almost) Out

In our area, school usually doesn’t wrap up until the Thursday of the first week of June. Due to the way the calendar fell this year, however, the kids went back to school this morning for their last three days of school.

I always remembered the last few days of school as being little more than clean-up time. In my elementary school, our teachers would put us to work taking down the bulletin boards, storing away the posters and washing off the desks. If we were lucky we got to watch a movie on a giant TV wheeled into the classroom on a tall cart that didn’t look safe enough to support the weight of that TV.

My two are spending their last few days in a bunch of school-wide activities. Today is their Field Day, although Mira told me that there won’t be any races. What? No races? When I went to Field Day as a kid, races were one the primary activities. It was a defining moment as the athletic kids were identified and rewarded for their talents and the non-athletic kids did their best and hoped no one would tease them for being so slow.

Note: I was one of the non-athletic kids. And yes, I hated Field Day, as I turned purple in the face trying to win even one event and always came in not-first. I’d like to say we non-athletic kids got our revenge when awards for academics were handed out, but we really didn’t. The athletic kids were given more attention for their accomplishments.

I guess they now make Field Day a wide group of events, some of which require little athletic skill, so that everyone has fun and doesn’t feel left out. And the junior high sports coaches probably aren’t scouting at the event, either, so there’s no pressure.

Tomorrow is Awards Day, where the entire morning will be spent giving out awards to kids. We were told that parents would be notified if their child was receiving an award so that we could attend, and sure enough both of ours had a note sent home. I want to go to the awards ceremony, but at the same time I wish they’d give me a hint as to what award they’re receiving.

I’m happy to attend if one of them is getting a special award for achievement or kindness or something like that, but I’m less excited to sit through hours of paper certificates being handed out if they’re getting an attendance award. I had a little something to do with their attendance, after all, and I don’t really consider it award-worthy. Elementary kids should be expected to be at school all days except when they’re sick.

The last day of school is only a half day. The school talent show is in the morning, which my girls decided they weren’t entering this year, so I have the morning to get work done. And then after the talent show is the school picnic on the lawn with parents.

I really enjoyed going to the picnic last year, and we’re planning to go again this year. Last year it was only Cordy having lunch with us, and this year we’re so proud to have both kids finishing the year at their school together. I expect Mira will be crying as she hugs her friends, wondering how she will survive without them until the start of the next school year. Hopefully she’ll remember to introduce us to some of their parents so we can get contact info to set up summer playdates.

And then…it’s over. Another school year is done and they’re promoted to third and first grades.

Then we enter the beginning of what I like to call Survivor: The Week Home Between School and Summer Camp Edition.