First Day Blues

I'm a little sad today.

*

My back-to-school tradition has been to take a picture of each of my children in front of their new classrooms on the first day of school, from kindergarten to 6th grade.

*

This is my final "first morning" picture. Today Dylan started 6th grade. Here he is this morning with his new teacher, Mrs. Damita Temper. What a nice lady!
*

Today, 12-year-old Dylan is as tall as his teacher (5'3")!

*

He wasn't always so grown up, though. It all began with this photo on August 15, 2002. Little Dylan was just 5 years old when he stood proudly outside the classroom of his kindergarten teacher, Wendy Hamm.
*

I let him wear my classroom keys around his neck to give him courage. He was nervous on that first day!

*

What I want to know now is why we started school in mid-August just 7 years ago, and now we start on August 6th!
*
*
*

August 14, 2003: Dylan is now 6 and attends the pre-first program known as Jump Start. His amazing teacher was Eileen Thompson, who had also taught Jacob 6 years earlier. She retired a few years ago.

*

Dylan was doing very well academically, but we'd recently discovered the anger issues related to the continual discomfort caused by his skin condition. We decided to take an extra year while he attended anger management sessions and learned some coping skills. After the first few months, he had a wonderful year.

*
*
*
*

*

August 12, 2004: Dylan at age 7, standing outside the 1st grade classroom of Terry Hurst. Does he look a bit impatient with Mom's ever-present camera?

*

Dylan and Mrs. Hurst really connected and he had a hugely successful year.

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

Here is 8-year-old Dylan with his 2nd grade teacher, Brian Whatcott, on August 10, 2005.

*

At this time things were deteriorating rapidly for Dylan's dad, and Brian was a great friend and role model for Dylan.

*

Dylan still admires Mr. Whatcott, who now teaches Spanish at the junior high. Dylan can't wait to take his class next year!
August 8, 2006: 9-year-old Dylan with his 3rd grade teacher, Pam Trainor. Pam had also been Sarah's 3rd grade teacher 8 years earlier.

*

Dylan continued to blossom under Mrs. Trainor's care. She told me many stories about what a compassionate friend and fine gentleman he was in school.

*

Dylan particularly loved this class because Mrs. Trainor was the sponsor of the Jumping Jackets jump rope club, to which Dylan belonged. He learned a lot of cool trick jumping that year!
*

*
*

In 4th grade, Dylan moved over to the mid-school, which used to be for grades 4-6. After the new school opened last year, the mid-school became the intermediate school, serving grades 3-4.

*

This is 10-year-old Dylan on August 8, 2007, with his 4th grade teacher, Phil Galbreath. Mr. Galbreath was another great role model for Dylan a year after his parents' divorce.

And, finally, last year's picture: August 6, 2008 in front of Betsy Peck's classroom. Dylan was 11 and joined the first 5th grade class to attend the new middle school (grades 5-6) in the brand new building.
*

Our little ones do grow up as the time whizzes past. I'm so proud of the young man Dylan is growing up to be.

*
But I'm still just a tiny bit sad...