This photo of Theo and his teacher, Ms. Voya, melts my heart very much. Ms. Voya is a wonderful teacher and she helped Theo, and us, a ton this year. I don’t think we would be in as good a place as we are with Theo, to be honest, if it weren’t for her and for this year of preschool for Theo. I know I’ve had my gripes with their communication, but she is incredibly invested in the children in her class and she worked very closely with Theo this year. Her natural way with children was apparent every single school day. She communicates amazingly with them and is exactly in line with how we try to parent; nurturing, empathic and fun. I had a wonderful conversation with her at the end of the year party and we ended on such a positive note. We are all incredibly proud of the hard work that was put in this year by Theo and for how amazingly strong he has come out after many challenging transitions in our lives. We can’t be more proud. From cooperative play to using words to express his emotions to navigating his way through becoming more flexible and coping with change, the result is apparent in our daily lives.
The end of the year party was celebrated at the Prospect Park Carrousel…
and it was bittersweet. I mourn the fact that Theo won’t be in that same nurturing environment next year for Pre-K, and I relish in the fact that he was so fortunate to have his first school experience be so intimate and special a setting. It was eye opening and inspiring. He made friends, and I made friends, that I hope we stay connected to for years to come.
The first year of school has come to a close. I hope to reflect back on this year as the foundation for many school years to come. Here’s to a wonderful summer!