Pre-school 1998...HS Graduation 2012

Yes, it's that time again...graduation! Some of you may have read my post last year when my Dream Team graduated. If not, you may want to take a look at that PK story. It tells how a teacher like me, who emphatically doesn't DO preschool...ended up DOING preschool...and LOVING IT!

But now Graduation 2012 is a new year and a new group of graduates. This is the year that my last PK group graduates from high school.

You may wonder how I think of this group, if the other was my Dream Team (after all, how many Dream Teams can one have?). Let me just say, I remember these five precious four-year old's as my Free Spirits.

At times, these little ones seemed to bounce off of every wall...not in a bad way, mind you...but in a four-year old way! My Free Spirits kept me on my spiritual toes. And that was good!

In fact, as the year went on, I came to think of this little group as my Kingdom Academy. Why, you might ask? Because God in His grace did some very special things...amazing to this "non-preschool DO-ing" teacher!

But I'll leave that for my next post. In the meantime, let me introduce you to this year's graduates from Mrs. Loyd's preschool:

First there's the princess and only girl in the midst of four boys...Amy. Amy was always smiling, caring, helping. In fact, when the boys started telling her, "Amy, get me this...put away that," I had to jump in to rescue her from the chauvanistic :) males of the group. Seriously though, Amy is an only sister in a family of boys, so enough said!

Then there is Carson. Carson would read my bulletin boards as I put them up. When I asked him who taught him to read, he said , "No one!" And I believe it! Carson had a sensitive conscience and often struggled with what was right and wrong...a smart little guy.

Brian was our budding artist. He loved to draw and color. He didn't love when there was too much "upheaval" in the classroom...a man after my own heart!

David was the pray-er of our group. Often when I would say, "Let's pray," David would burst into prayer. He often didn't give me a chance to lead out as I had intended. David was very spiritually sensitive and repented easily when he did the wrong thing.

Last but not least is Andrew. Andrew joined us in the middle of the school year. I remember his grateful spirit. Shortly after he joined us, Andrew said to me, "Teacher, thank you for letting me be in this class!" He also thanked the Lord in prayer one day for "Mr Potato Head, my cat peeing and pooing in the litter box, and even for my teacher!"

In the next blog, I'll tell some more about these dear ones...

But right now, I want to thank you, dear Amy, Carson, Brian, David, and Andrew, for enriching my life with your free spirited innocence and love and life!

Your names and little faces :) are forever etched in my heart!

See, I have written your names in the palms of My hands... Is 49:16a

A Branch in the Vine

Pre-school 1998...HS Graduation 2012

A Branch In the Vine