Promoted

Tonight the kids said goodbye to kindergarten and first grade. They ceremoniously walked on stage after their name was called, hugged their teachers, and passed through the white arch as newly promoted first and second graders. In all honesty, the promotion ceremony, while sweet, didn't move me anything near as much as Elsa's kindergarten graduation last year. Both Brent and I had had pretty rough days at work and were just happy to be able to sit in the grass with the sinking sun warming our faces, releasing the stresses of the day and cheering enthusiastically during our kid's five seconds on the stage.

After putting the kids to bed I casually picked up Ashagre's end of the year progress report and starting reading.

"Ashagre is an excellent listener for others!"

"Ashagre knows the names of the days of the week in English, Spanish, French, and German," (I bet, with a little reminder, they could add Amharic and Sidaminga to that list).

"Ashagre worked together cooperatively with his group to complete the group project. His Habitat books were thorough and informative. I hope he learned as much about his Habitat (the ocean) and the blue whale as I did!"

"What a treat it has been to watch Ashagre blossom this year! He has made tremendous growth academically, socially, and emotionally this semester. Ashagre is a loving boy who wants to please and is eager to learn. He has made many friends at school and is quickly learning the culture of America as well as that of VCS. He is always willing to help others and shows empathy for others. Ashagre comes to school ready to learn and have fun with his friends. I am extremely proud of Ashagre's growth. I know he will continue to make many strides in first grade as well. I will miss Ashagre!"

Of the 38 criteria Ashagre was graded on, he either already had the highest mark or made improvement from the first semester to the second on 36 of them. He has learned so much over the past school year. He went from not being able to recognize all of his letters to knowing all of their sounds and starting to read simple words. He has morphed from a timid little boy (arguably the shyest in class) to a confident friend that is excited to participate in whatever his teacher throws at him next and loves to be wherever the action is.

Two years ago: the little boy that delighted in the opportunity to look
at books (even if he didn't know he was looking at them upside down).

The (much larger) little boy that still loves books and is now starting to read -
posing next to his ocean habitat during the last week of school.

From Elsa's progress report:

"She continues to love books and she's developed many skills so that she may read them independently."

"Elsa is a confident speaker, always taking a turn at magic circle and doing presentations."

"Elsa worked cooperatively in the pond group to complete the project. She was very enthusiastic about her animal, the duck, and built connections to her research and ducks she sees in the real world. Elsa was an enthusiastic presenter who stayed on-topic as she shared her zoo exhibit with the community."

"She continued to love helping and leading."

On the way to school this morning Elsa announced that she would be tying her own shoes today (I hadn't had a chance to do it before we had to get out the door). Ashagre cheered her on with a ready, set, go! and she did it on the first try. The second one was even easier.

Elsa with her baby duck and her group's pond habitat.

Tonight my pride for my kids is palpable. It's nights like these I allow myself to indulge, just for a moment, in the sheer magnitude of what they've been able to accomplish in little over a year. As I've mentioned before, I feel strongly that I don't want my kids' early traumas to solely define them. On the flipside though, I hope they can one day appreciate how brave, strong, smart, adaptable and purely amazing they really are. In just one year in the American school system, they have not only learned to communicate in a new language, read, write, and do basic math pretty much at grade level, but they've assumed many of the nuances of a culture far different from that of their birth country. They've learned to cooperate and interact in a school that purposely teaches non-violent communication and other social-emotional skills after surviving life in institutions where fists, pushiness, and manipulation reign supreme. They've conquered paralyzing fears.  They're learning what it means to be part of a family after loosing their first families. They're learning to walk and speak with confidence, try even when they might fail the first few times, and trust in their innate abilities to accomplish anything the set their mind to. If someone told me someday that they'd learned to fly, I don't think I'd be all that surprised.