Last Day Blues!

Today is Abhay’s last day of school and it’s not Abhay but Abhay’s mommy who’s experiencing the last day blues!:-) Im not sure if Abhay will, but I most certainly will miss his school!:-) In fact, unlike most other schools, Abhay’s school remains open even during summer. But since Abhay is set to start a new school in India next month, it was a matter a great concern for his grandparents that their darling grandson hasn’t had a summer break at all. So as per their strict orders, I’d decided to take him off school and let him stay at home for a month. Now that it is finally his last day at school, the very thought of Abhay being at home all day truly scares me!!! Seriously, you cant blame me, it has been quite a while ( 2 and ½ years to be precise) since Abhay was at home all day! Since it will almost be a month and a half before our flight back to India, I just hope I’ll be able to get by my last month in the US without my sanity being threatened by my stay-at home preschooler! JSo here I am , already having withdrawal symptoms! So this afternoon I had a talk with his Principal exploring the possibility of sending him to school for at least twice a week!!! Hmmm…I can feel some eyebrows being raised …..C’mon you guys…give me some credit here….it’s only two days a week and it’s all for his good….Abhay will be bored staying at home all day!!! J

Anyway, today’s book was “Last Day Blues” by Julie Danneberg and illustrated by Judy Love. It’s soon going to be last day of school and the teacher, Mrs. Hartwell tells her students that they will be missed. On hearing this, the students too begin to feel blue thinking about the last day of school. But they all realize that though they’ll miss their teachers, they cannot wait to begin their summer vacation. Finally, as that day draws near, Mrs. Hartwell appears more and more gloomy and the students imagine that while they vacation, poor Mrs. Hartwell would probably cry herself through the entire summer missing her students, remembering the old lesson plans and the fun moments of the previous academic year. So they decide to get her something to cheer her up. After a lot of deliberation, they come up with a beautiful card in which all of them recount what they shall miss about school – the playground, recess, snack time, reading, class pet, spelling bee tests but most of all their beloved teacher Mrs. Hartwell! Mrs. Hartwell is delighted and so are her students who get on the school bus and turn towards their teachers one last time to bid farewell before they are off for the summer. The students picture their teachers feeling miserable about the last day of school. But as the bus leaves, Mrs. Hartwell returns to her classroom and feels that she is sure going to miss her students during summer, but at the same time, cannot wait for vacation! As I read this book, I asked Abhay if he’ll miss his school, to which he replied " I will miss school, but I still want to go back to India to my grandpa”!