by Sue Meisler, Nursery School Director
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning,
but a going on, with all the wisdom that
experience can instill in us.”
Hal Barland
It is always a difficult task for me to say goodbye at the end of the year to all the families who will be leaving us because their children are moving into their elementary school years. It is both hard and exciting to watch the children who will remain in our school move away from their present classrooms, teachers and friends and into the next phase of our nursery school experience. They grow up so fast and before we can blink, this glorious stage of their lives is gone. Oh if we could only hold on to it just a wee bit longer!
It was Annie Sullivan who said that “love is something like the clouds that were in the sky before the sun came out. You cannot touch the clouds, you know, but you feel the rain and know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day. You cannot touch love either, but you feel the sweetness that it pours on everything.” Her words make me feel that much of what goes on in our daily connection with all the beautiful children at our school throughout the year is about love. I learned at the beginning stage of my career that teachers, who love children deeply, will work hard to give confidence, encouragement, a listening ear and good values to the children gifted to them for a year. This in turn will help to insure their future. The academics are important as well, but the skills that make them lovable, kind, cooperative, loyal, responsible and generous of spirit, are far more valuable tools for guiding them through life.
The teachers in our classrooms made sure to look at each child as an individual while always keeping expectations realistic. Our staff gave the children a chance to make errors and time to discover how to change these mistakes into successful experiences. There were opportunities for children to make choices and evaluate what selection they made. All children were encouraged to play and have fun with the wide variety of materials set out for them each day. Most importantly, children were given a large amount of time to socialize and learn how to make friends and sustain them. We sang, danced, held hands, laughed, hugged, played hard and made sure that all the children had a sense of their own purpose and identity. We end this year with hearts full of gratitude for all the parents who have supported our efforts throughout the year. It is because of your belief in our philosophy and your time and support throughout the year that we were able to accomplish all that we set out to do with your incredible children.
I leave you with a passage written by a teacher who reflects what my staff and I feel each year at this time.
“We sow the seeds on the other side of the water
and never see the harvest turn to flower.
Yet we dance in the colors of the day
and know the power of the bursting bud.
We teach the children to sing,
though we will hear the song but faintly,
falling away across the water.
And the loud applause
will not sound for us.
Only the soft stirrings of peace
in the children’s hearts
and the thunder of the ages in their veins.”
Linda Rhody
I want to take the time to thank Jennifer and Marilyn and my entire Parent Association for working so hard this year. Through their efforts our school has been able to create an atmosphere of deep concern for the future of our world by honoring the soul of each child at HJC. The Parent Association brought the parents, teachers, children and synagogue together by having a wide variety of events through the year which allowed all of us to build a “happy home” at HJC for all the students.
I hope all of you have a healthy and happy summer. I look forward to the next school year and to getting to know all the incoming students and families who will be a part of the HJC magic.