What Was Lost, Now is Found

This summer the kids and I worked on journals. Each week the kids picked an activity to write about and then drew pictures to go with the text. By the end of the summer, these journals were filled with lots of great memories - trips to the fair, various summer outings, special family times - all written in their own handwriting, in their own words. Obviously these were important keepsakes to me.


We went to the library. There was a program. It was fun. It was about animals. - June 2008 [picture is of a flying squirrel]

Tyler's kindergarten teacher gave the kids a pack of homework to work on over the summer. They were also allowed to create a journal (we had already planned to do one anyway). If they returned any of their homework on the first day of 1st grade, they would get a treat. At the beginning of this year, Tyler took in his completed homework pack and his journal. The journal never came home.

I became frantic after his journal failed to show up after a few days. I talked to his first grade teacher and his kindergarten teacher. I even looked for it myself when I was in the classroom one day. We all came to the conclusion that it was accidentally thrown away. I cried.

It was several months later before I told Tyler it had been thrown away. Even then it was his darling sister who broke the news. He was upset but got over it much quicker than I did.

Yesterday at dinner Tyler told us he finished a journal he had been working on in class. He was surprised, though, because when it was time to begin a new notebook, his teacher did not give him the composition journal he brought in with his school supplies on the first day of school. Casually he said, "Instead, she gave me my summer notebook." I just about dropped my fork. I questioned him some more and then sent a hasty email to his teacher asking her to please, please send the journal home with Tyler if this was indeed THE summer journal.

We went to the spray park with Mamaw. It was fun. The water was cold. - July 2008

Tyler walked in the door this afternoon and proudly handed me his backpack. Nestled among the folder and papers was his priceless summer journal. I just about cried. I also received an email from his teacher, apologizing for apparently not understanding exactly what I was looking for earlier. No need to apologize. What was lost, now is found!