I want to go to kinder­garten again but this time, I want to go to Waverly.

In just one week my kinder­gart­ner, Murray, began the first book of The Boxcar Chil­dren, learned about the inven­tions of Benjamin Franklin, performed with the new class micro­phone on the class­room stage, prac­ticed money skills in Minute Math, inves­ti­gated the prop­er­ties of water and the temper­a­tures at which water freezes and boils, learned a Chinese song for Chinese New Year and performed it at All School Meeting, visited class­room neigh­bors for a perfor­mance of Strega Nona, and learned every­thing about the letter ​“O.”

Outside of the class­room, Murray is hungry to apply his learn­ing. At the Waverly Farm, he and his friends built a struc­ture and imag­ined they were the Boxcar Chil­dren. They also made fresh apple cider with an old-fash­ioned cider press.

At home, I often over­hear Murray singing songs from his music class or find him sitting at his keyboard prac­tic­ing a new tune that he learned at school. And Murray often enjoys teach­ing his third grade brother words in Hindi and German that he learned in class.

While all this is amazing, the most incred­i­ble things that Murray learns in kinder­garten are less tangi­ble. Murray is learn­ing kind­ness. He’s learn­ing how to listen to others. He’s learn­ing what it means to be a friend. And he’s learn­ing that learn­ing is excit­ing and fun.

Each day he returns to school with the same excite­ment and energy as the day before. Some­thing very magical is happen­ing in that kinder­garten class­room. I really wish they’d let me go too.

–Wendy Lopata
Mom to Murray, kinder­garten and Nolan, 3^rd grade