Last day of school

It's a tough competition with the teacher they both had in kindergarten, but Jack and Kate had probably their teachers we most liked this year, two awesome ladies who were admittedly smitten with our kids. Kate's teacher, at our first parent-teacher conference, I recall her pausing, taking a breath, and saying, "I LOVE Kate. She is so sweet and helpful, both to me and the other students, and she's very encouraging." It was a great year and I think Kate became happier, friendlier, and a better person this year. Plus she learned to read and did this ridiculous new math that I barely understood myself. But it was a great year, and today, after saying goodbye to basically every teacher she recognized, she went to a play date at a friends house and ate pizza and ice cream.

Jack, meanwhile, had probably the best teacher I've ever even heard of this year. Ms Gullotta was a wonderful teacher who was both sweet and kind and old school, the only one who kept the kids until 3:00 p.m. before opening her door. And most of them still didn't leave.

Some of the stuff she said to me today she had told us before, but it still really hit home. She said Jack was an extraordinary student, smart and talented and always eager and anxious to learn. "He inspired me...he inspired the other kids, I think to be better students. He inspired me to be a better teacher. He is an amazing kid." What do you say to that? I think I sputtered something about how great she was and how much he loved having her, all true, but I didn't put it into words as well. He had been in a reading group with her class the previous year -- he's currently reading at a sixth-grade level -- and she said she hoped she would get him in her class, and when she got the list, she immediately went down it to see if his name was there. I hugged her and she said "I've got my fingers crossed for Kate," and I said we do, too.

Then Jack and I went home and bought tickets for the New York Comic Convention in October, went out to a bar, er, restaurant, to have wings and watch the World Cup, and got some swings in at the batting cages, since some bad habits have crept into his swing. And then came home and played with our new dog. What's that, I haven't blogged about her yet? Ok, next time.