School - closing a chapter

September 25, 2024

School - closing a chapter

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KinderCare Daycare, Nashua, New Hampshire

My heart bled as my 18-month toddled to daycare with a cookie clutched in his little fingers, crying copiously. He'd point to the door gesturing desperately to come to mamma. I'd observe him for sometime through the little rectangular glass on the door, and turn away helplessly, hoping he'd forget his fears soon and get busied with colourful toys around him like the rest of the class.

Meeting a hero - Mr Fireman

Queuing to a firetruck

Pony ride with Ms Parna and her colleague

Matching pace with the relentless time he stepped into primary school. Early mornings were a blur - packing fruit, lunch, water bottle, pencil box, books, getting him into school uniform, and racing for the school bus! There were days, though few, when his granddad stood in front of the yellow vehicle barring it from budging the bus bay till his grandson found his way up its steps to a comfortable green seat with his friends. Grandma would heave a sigh of relief, her toughest part of day was over!

PP1 and PP2 at DPS, Hyderabad

Class 1 and 2 at DPS, Hyderabad

With friends at DPS

Celebrating with DPS friends

Times changed, he moved school as we changed our place of work. Adapting to new friends, new ways of study, new ambience outside comfort zone wasn't a cake walk. Yet my brave little one embraced it all. Proudly flashing his Student Representative Council and Maths Olympiad badge, he'd responsibly and diligently carry out his additional duties - ensuring lights were off, playing buddy to kindies, collecting dojo points for seeing each piece of rubbish to dustbin.

Flashing SRC and Maths Olympiad badges, Chatswood Public School

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Last day of primary school, Year 6

Presentation Night, Year 6

Primary school had a panoply of activities planned - being a storybook character, meeting a renowned author (Aaron Blabey), looking up to the starry dome of makeshift planetarium. It was outright exciting. After school hours were no less fun. Playing in the Oval or simply idling beneath the setting sun was welcoming before returning home to diligently complete homework! Who has ever escaped the drudgery of that?

Year 3 to 6

Through little failures, few remarkable achievements, and conscientious effort he carved his way to a reputed high school. Each little badge he added to his tie, I was elated. And every little setback, I'd comfort him - there's a lot ahead to look forward to. Frustrations mounted as he toiled to push boundaries towards achieving a perfect animation assignment, worked his fingers to the bone to deliver an immaculate capstone project, and persevered to master a weak study area. Patience frayed as he struggled to keep up with the rest of the intelligent cohort. But it warmed our hearts to see him exulting in the accolades that these lows earned him in the end. His ebb and flow of emotions dictated our hearts to leap, dance, droop, slump, march, or gasp! We treasured and affectionately filed the certificates he earned, starred all the weekly digital newsletters that featured his work or laurels, preserved a handful of school uniform - washed, ironed, mothballed. These are inseparable part of golden school years!

Year 7, Killara High School

Year 8 to Year 10, Normanhurst Boys High School

Year 11, Normanhurst Boys High School

Today he wrapped all these years with "signoff day". Being parents, it's hard to believe it's over. The journey looks long, yet feels short. Dad is feeling the void - no more rushing around to get uniform set each morning, touching the school doors for drop offs or special events, arranging stuff for school camps! My heart that once bled to see my little one toddle to school is now bleeding to let go of school days.

The respectable and knowledgeable teachers have dedicated several years guiding, nurturing, and shaping these young lives. They enabled them with cutting edge technologies and sparked their interest in a range of contemporary fields of study. It was equally hard for them to see the children off.

While it's difficult to accept the end of this chapter, it also means an opportunity to turn a new leaf. We wish our son and his cohort the best for preparing for final exams, making the most of the few days they'll be returning to school for graduation dinner and ceremonies, and for stepping out gracefully to commence yet another stint - university days!

As for us, we'll relive these memories, of trepidation and joy, of laughter and cries, of watching the cohort bloom before our very eyes each time we pass by a Normo student or the prestigious institution - it's not going anywhere, is it?