Judah's Last Day of Pre-K

Wow, this day has come and gone. It's hard to believe it. I cannot express how much Judah has grown and accomplished this year. Eric and I are so so proud of him. For Judah's last day of pre-k, his teacher gives a "character blessing" to each child. This means that she picks a character trait for each child in the class (along with a verse), writes something about that character trait to the child, and presents and reads it to them. I was really anticipating this, but I have to say that it far surpassed my expectations. I cannot express how it touched me to hear Judah's teacher (Mrs. Wessley) talk about how she prayed for each child and asked God to help her see what He wanted to highlight about their character. I was so impressed by her words to each child. I could tell that they were selected with care, and she meant every word that she was saying to them. I could hardly make it through without crying. Judah's character blessing was "attentiveness." :)

Mrs. Wessley has not only been a wonderful teacher in the pre-k classroom, but she has a genuine love for the kids in her class. It goes beyond doing a good job, being good with kids, or even being passionate about teaching. She truly loves my child. I can see it every time she talks about him or interacts with him. This makes all the difference as a parent. When Judah is in her care, I know he is being loved. Another thing I appreciate is how she incorporates Scripture and love for God into every aspect of her teaching. Of course, this includes Scripture memory (the kids memorized 10 verses), but it goes beyond that. It's in the little things, too. When she talked about one of her favorite things to do with the kids, it was the time she spent in worship with them (singing worship songs). My son gets to WORSHIP in school. I just can't get over how wonderful it is that he, not only gets to do this, but that his teacher loves to do this with him! In addition to all these wonderful things, Mrs. Wessley is a Licensed Educational Therapist, so she keeps her eye on the development of the kids in her classroom. This has been a big advantage for us, since it turns out that Judah would benefit from some services, so she will be working with him over the summer.

I have to admit that I was a little sad that today was Judah's last day of pre-k, but Judah didn't seem to be phased in the least. After the "advancement ceremony", Judah requested ice cream as a treat, so we picked up some ice cream and ate it at home. Judah was also treated to a lunch of his choosing, which was Portillos (hot dog and fried with cheese dip). Here are some pictures of Judah's big day. :)

Waving to mommy

The head of school, Dr. Wrobbel, saying a few words

Mrs. Wessley

Judah's turn (too bad the microphone is in the way!)

This is what Mrs. Wessley wrote for Judah

She always keeps the Bible in a box wrapped as a present-so neat

Judah's class

ice cream at home