The Senior

As difficult as it is to watch Dylan growing up, it's even harder to wrap my mind around the fact that Jacob is a high school senior.

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Here he is in my classroom at the high school this morning, the second day of the new school year. Six feet tall, 18 years old, still president of SADD Club and a Big Brother in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program--he's just way too grown up! Where did the years go?
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Jacob 's school career began early. He actually began attending Tiny Tots PreSchool in February 1995, when he was only 3-and-a-half years old.

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This is Jacob at age 4 on the preschool steps, Aug. 17, 1995.

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When Jacob had turned 3 the previous summer, he suddenly developed a terrible stutter even though his language development had been perfectly normal until then. It was so bad he could barely force any words out.

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So he began attending the preschool and receiving speech-language therapy. He received therapy for 6 years, with 100% success. Today there is no hint of the stammer, and Jacob is totally comfortable speaking publicly, even before large groups.

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A huge THANK YOU to his speech-language therapist, Linda Beste!

Jacob started elementary school on Sept. 9, 1996 at age 5. We started late due to major construction going on at all 4 schools in the district.

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Here he is in front of his kindergarten classroom. His teacher, Mrs. Fuller, did not do well with Jacob. She got it into her head that he was mentally challenged and treated him differently than the rest of the class. This resulted in Jacob being teased mercilessly for his stutter, which stressed him out, which increased the stutter.

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In December Jacob was placed in the class of wonderful Kim Lahner, where he bloomed. He completed the entire kindergarten curriculum 3 months before Mrs. Fuller's students finished it.

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Mrs. Fuller moved away after that disastrous year.

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Aug 14, 1997: Like Dylan, 6-year-old Jacob took out a year to attend pre-1st (Jump Start) with the amazing Eileen Thompson. Despite his academic success, we wanted to give him time in a smaller, more protected setting to undo the damage done in kindergarten.

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In pre-1st his stress was eased, he could focus on his speech therapy, and he learned to love school (and Mrs. Thompson!).

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Aug 13, 1998: Jacob is now 7 and starting 1st grade in Brenda Penrod's class.
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Brenda had been Sarah's 1st grade teacher 2 years earlier, so I knew she was an excellent educator who would help Jacob be successful, and she would accept no nonsense in how he was treated.
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He had a very positive year.
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On to 2nd grade, Aug 12, 1999: 8-year-old Jacob was assigned to the classroom of Don Hotz, a strong teacher I've come to know well over the years.

Don is very nurturing for a male teacher, and he connected well with Jacob. During this year we began to see real progress in Jacob's language therapy.
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3rd grade, Aug 24, 2000: Jacob, age 9, in front of the classroom of Vickie Aylstock (wife of our then-superintendent). She was such a sweet, soft-spoken lady. Jacob adored her and still has fond memories of her.
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By now, Jacob was doing so well that we discussed the possibility of exiting him from the speech program. The stutter was almost entirely gone. However, since he would be moving from the elementary to mid-school for 4th grade, I suggested that we wait one more year to see how well he made the transition. I wanted to be prepared, in case the stress of a new environment caused a relapse.
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We didn't need to worry. Jacob was stammer-free for well over a year and it has never returned. We removed him from the speech program during 4th grade.

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Jacob was assigned to the classroom of Kay Locke, one of the most awesome teachers I've ever known. Like Mrs. Penrod, Kay had been Sarah's 4th grade teacher 2 years previously. Sarah and Jacob both loved her dearly. She retired just a few years after Jacob was in her class.
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Here we have 10-year-old Jacob with Mrs. Locke on Aug 20, 2001.
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Mrs. Locke is the only teacher we ever photographed with Jacob. Back then I never asked the teachers because they were usually busy greeting students as they arrived.

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Jacob, age 11, at the 5th grade classroom of Donna Maksimuk (you can see her inside the room), Aug 15, 2002.

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Donna is another gifted teacher, and I could barely tear Jacob away from her room. Her son Adam became one of Jacob's best friends that year and remains so to this day. In fact, their friendship is the main reason we'll be vacationing in Colorado next summer, where they now live!
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Finally, Jacob becomes a 6th grader on Aug 14, 2003. He was 12 years old, exactly the same age his brother Dylan is today.

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His teacher was Denise Thomas, who, again, was also Sarah's 6th grade teacher 2 years before. Denise was a very organized and tough teacher who believed strongly in accountability. Jacob was a boy who'd learned early on that he could get away with most anything by shining those big, innocent green eyes at his teachers. They had their battles, but Mrs. Thomas really helped prepare Jacob for junior high.
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And now here we are. Six more years have passed and Jacob hovers on the brink of adulthood.

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We do our best to prepare our children for this time in their lives, but too often we forget to prepare ourselves.

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Let's cherish every moment of our children's lives, whether newborn or middle-aged. The years fly away and cannot be recalled except in memory. May we each build a lifetime supply of precious memories!