Syracuse Parent and CNY Family

Brittney Fiorini Jerred is an award-winning columnist and the editor of "Syracuse Parent." You can leave comments below. She may also be reached at editor@syracuseparent.net

Wait until 2012...
Posted on Tue, July 7th, 2009
Written by: Jennifer Wing, Editor
email: editor@syracuseparent.net

My son Jacob graduated from kindergarten on June 23 in a ceremony filled with music, comedy and touching moments. I was but one in a sea of parents proudly watching as their children crossed into first grade, and I noted that many, myself included, were a bit choked up at the prospect.
Ridiculous, right?
Not necessarily so.
The Association for Childhood Education International has emphasized the importance of the kindergarten years in a child’s development.
“Kindergarten children are trying many things for the first time,” ACEI members Joan Moyer, Harriet Egertson, and Joan Isenberg state on acei.org. “Kindergarten children are active, curious learners who need space, a variety of materials and large blocks of time to try out their ideas, gain experience and expand their learning. A high quality kindergarten program provides a strong foundation upon which children can build the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary for lifelong learning.”
So kindergarten is a building block in the foundation of a child’s education. Before starting kindergarten, Jacob was able to write his name, color within the lines (somewhat), recite his ABCs and count to 20 (or maybe 30).
Now, at the end of kindergarten, he is reading, writing in sentences, drawing with a high degree of detail and can not only count to 100, but can count by tens and do simple addition and subtraction.
That’s a huge jump in knowledge, one that will be repeated over his education, but perhaps not in such a basic, important way. He is beginning to make his own way in the world, discovering new things every day, and as a parent I am glad.
But you’ll have to forgive me if I’m a bit selfish – it is bittersweet for me that every step that he takes through his education is also a step further from the being the baby that grew inside of me and relied upon me for everything from food to comfort to entertainment.
I don’t doubt that he’ll always need me in some fashion, but he is also coming into his own, and therefore is embracing new, exciting experiences and friends into his life.
Just wait until he graduates from high school in 2021 – I’ll have to bring a box of tissues to that ceremony!

Jennifer Wing, editor of "Syracuse Parent" and "Mother Knows Best," lives in Manlius with her husband, Eric, and children, Cassidy, 7, and Jacob, 5. She has worked at Eagle Newspapers since 2005.