Fifth Grade Feels Like a Milestone

Friday, September 8, 2006

Page 15

AT THE SIDEBAR (Column)

Fifth Grade Feels Like a Milestone

By J’AMY PACHECO

By the time you read this, my daughter will have started fifth grade.

I know, I know, it’s not a big deal. A lot of children are starting fifth grade this year. But it seems like a huge milestone.

It was, in fact, just five short years ago that I turned her over to a kindergarten teacher whose name I can’t even recall. Not because kindergarten was a blur, but because eight days later, her name came up on a waiting list and she transferred to a new school, a new class, and a new teacher (whose name I do remember).

The hardest thing about leaving my only child at kindergarten was the fact that I did so on Sept. 13, 2001. Leaving my baby with strangers two days after terrorists left our nation reeling was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do as a mother.

But she thrived in kindergarten, and in subsequent years. Last year, she again moved to a new school, and was fortunate to be assigned to the best teacher in the whole world.

That was a combined fourth-fifth grade class, and I was delighted to learn her teacher would have a straight fifth grade class this year. That means my daughter will have the same teacher for the second year in a row.

That’s good news, because her teacher is an amazing woman who was, in fact, named Teacher of the Year by our school district. It is a title that is well deserved, and I feel most fortunate that my daughter will get another year to learn from this outstanding teacher.

Even though she’ll have the same teacher, things feel different this year. I first noticed changes when I took my perpetually tiny girl shopping for school clothes and shoes. Although she’s 10, my daughter is small and light enough that I can still carry her.

But when it came time to try on pants, I discovered that her usual size was suddenly snug around the waist. The shorts she’s been wearing all summer must have stretched, because that size was no longer an option.

Having her feet free of shoes all summer must have had an effect too, because we had to go up a size and a half in the shoe department.

The biggest change, however, was reflected in her choice of clothing. While previous year’s clothing selections have predominantly been in the pink family, I couldn’t help noticing an increase in the number of black garments she chose. I okayed a pink-trimmed black dress and a ruffly black skirt, but discouraged her from choosing a black hoodie. I was pleased to see her reject the garment when I remarked that it looked “too Goth.”

Her choice of dress shoes usually is limited to patent leather “clippie-clops.” These are shoes that make the same high heel noise as Mom’s when she walks. But this year, she spurned the clippie-clops for a pair of simple black leather Mary Janes.

No doubt about it, my little girl is growing up. Just two more years of elementary school and we’ll be searching for a good middle school – and probably a lot more black clothing. Yikes.

It’s hard for me to believe a childhood could fly by so quickly. But it’s hard for me to believe the summer of 2006 is over, too.

When I look at our Summer Fun Wish List, created early in June, I see that we did a great deal with her time off. We went to San Diego three times, made multiple trips to Disneyland, and spent weekends at two grandmas’ houses.

My daughter spent a week at church day camp, and took two weeks worth of swimming lessons. We saw some movies, attended some birthday parties, participated in a convention in Las Vegas, went to a zoo and wild animal park, dressed as ‘toons for ToonFest 2006, and made a return trek to our favorite tall ship, the Star of India.

This summer, my daughter got brave enough to go down two different swimming pool slides, to jump off a diving board, to leap into 12 feet of water holding a 10-pound brick, and to sit in the front row of Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds.

We never did get to the dollhouse remodel that’s been on our list for three summers now, but I’m not worried about that. There’s always Christmas vacation.

But summer’s over, and with it goes another piece of my little girl’s childhood. And when another five years go by, we’ll be just two years away from college.

Put like that, I guess it really IS a big deal.