Oh how fast this year has gone. My son has completed his first year of school and I couldn’t be more proud. There are so many things that he learned this year. But I’ve learned just as much.

This is the first year I’ve been a parent to a grade schooler. The first year of Catholic school, of PTG, of being a room mom and so much more. And the first year I’ve worked at home while my kids were in school all week as opposed to part time pre-school and at home with me the rest of the time.

We all had to wake up early, all had to get ready at the same time. And I was lucky if I got a hot cup of coffee before we were out the door and headed for morning drop off.

This Year In Kindergarten I Learned:

1. To play nice with others

My son’s school is small. 1 classroom per grade and each class averages between 14-24 students. Every year it can fluxuate since we have a large military presence here in San Diego and at the schoolbut for the most part the kids my son is in class with now will most likely be with him until he graduates 8th grade and goes to high school. . That means that I’m slowly getting to know a lot of the parents, staff, and educators at this school. And eventually I’ll know everyone by the time all of my kids are here.

There are always a lot of different personalities in a group like this. There’s this mom, or that dad, or that teacher. But because we’re in it for the long haul, I was ready to play nice and get to know everyone at the beginning of the year. That’s hard when you’re brand new to a school. But I put myself out there, volunteered for various events, and made new friends.

2. That my son is awesome

Now I totally already knew this. But it was amazing seeing my son blossom from a preschooler to a grade schooler over this past year. No, he wasn’t top of the class, but he excelled in the subjects he loved and tried hard in the subjects he had trouble with. He went from not knowing all of his letters to being able to write full sentences. Wow.

And the interest he has in learning blew me away. While we struggled each night to get homework done because he’d rather be playing with his toys or finishing a game of Mario with his dad, his teacher always had the best things to say about his work ethic and the fact that he was willing to try and work hard to learn the things he hadn’t mastered yet. That’s all I want from him.

3. I enjoy being involved

I totally didn’t know if I’d cut it as a room mom. Nor did I think I’d have any interest in being involved in the PTG other than attending the general meetings. But I knew that I had time to dedicate and personally chose the career I’m in so that I could be involved. And involved I was.

From organizing class parties with my co-room mom, to finding sponsors for the auction at the Fall Gala the school held as a fundraiser, and eventually to stepping up as the sponsorship coordinator for the PTG at the end of the year, I found that I enjoy being involved in school and being a part of the community it creates.

4. I can use my skill set to my school’s advantage

Who knew that what started out as preserving memories and finding an outlet could turn into a full time job? How would I ever forsee that being a digital influencer could help my son’s school? With the relationships I’ve made and the things I’ve learned running this blog I’ve been able to help reach out to the community and am starting to secure donations and relationships for the school to use.

I think that just about every parent has a skill set that the school could use. And it doesn’t have to be in any official capacity. Simply stepping up and saying, “I can do this” will probably result in benefiting the school somehow. Whether you’re an educator at another school, a digital influencer, a crafter, a photographer, or any other myriad of skills out there. There’s something you can do to help your child’s school.

5. I love a close knit community

When my husband talked about wanting our kids to have a Catholic education I can honestly say I didn’t get it. I agreed to it even before we were married because I knew it was a huge deal to him but until my son actually attended school this year, I didn’t see the difference. And now? I can definitely see the difference. And not only because we’re paying a good chunk of change each month.

With a small private school comes a close knit community, or the semblance of one. I really enjoy hanging out with the other parents in my son’s class and also have seen a glimpse into the relationships other class parents have. By being more involved in the school I know that over time we’ll become even closer with the school community. And that is something I want for my kids.

These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten):

1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don’t hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
7. Say you’re SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life – learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that inside.
15. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned to read – the biggest word of all – LOOK.

― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

What did you learn this year?