I remember the first day of fifth grade like it was yesterday. Ms. Munn was a tall, beautiful woman with a bright smile and extraordinarily long finger nails.

I was the new kid that year. For the fourth time in 5 years. Chris Wiley was the first person I remember meeting that first day.

He was the dreamiest boy I had ever laid eyes on, and I couldn’t believe it when I found out he lived three doors down from my new house on Bobbitt Dr.

What I didn’t know then was that he would not only be one of my best friends, but that friendship would be one of the most important of my life to this very day.

Fifth grade. That was the year when things got weird. Because boys became cute instead of having cooties. And homework became harder. And social dynamics started to bubble to the surface.

It was great. And hard. And weird. And hard.

They told us about using deodorant….and that our bodies were going to change.

The memories from those days don’t feel like they were over thirty years ago.

Flash forward…..I’ve now lived through fifth grade with both of my children.

One skidded through it sideways. Every boundary tested, every opportunity to learn a lesson the hard way explored.

And all the while he still managed to grow. And learn. And adore his very own Ms. Munn.

That child will tell you three years later that she was his person. His favorite teacher by a mile. She got him. And she literally loved him through.

I always joke that I want all of my older child’s teachers to have the younger so they can see that not all Brillons are created equal.

But in reality, the reason is only because I have been so truly blessed for my children to be graciously guided through their elementary educations.

Our neighborhood school has been an extraordinary part of my children’s lives as well as my own.

A true community of all that is possible for every child who walks through its doors.

I can name every teacher and tell you why each one was a gift to my children. Every year brought new challenges and new opportunities for growth. Social lessons. Academic growth. And extraordinary amounts of love. That’s what my children will leave Community School the beneficiaries of.

As my youngest finishes up his fifth grade year, he struggles. Not academically. Not socially. Internally.

His world feels uneasy. He doesn’t know how to trust that his life will settle and not always feel like it’s balanced on quick sand.

Yet he walks through those doors every morning with love and encouragement from his father and I directly into the love and encouragement of his daytime team.

To know they are cared for wholly as people and human beings is more than any parent could hope for.

Thank you Lauren Johnson. You have given both of my boys immeasurable gifts that they will carry forward forever.

All as completely different as they are. All so very valuable just the same.

Fifth grade. The year we all became a little bit more of who we are supposed to be.