TALE OF A FIFTH- GRADE MOM BY MEGAN PICKETT, Parent of Thorne Wyman, ’23
ANY ICONIC CHARACTER OF A
MIDDLE-GRADE NOVEL KNOWS that there are two universal truths when you are in the fifth grade—no one wants to stand out and everything feels awkward. So I won’t lie that I didn’t feel some relief when I received
Blessing of the Animals
the roster for the Cathedral School for Boys Class of 2023 and noted that we were one of 14 new families joining the School midstream. We knew that Cathedral expanded its class sizes in fifth grade, but seeing a tangible list of names eased my worries. While my son was a new kid, he would not be the new kid. There is power in numbers. As a writer, backstory is important to me in my work and in my life. By the time my daughter graduated from her K-8 school, I had catalogued almost a decade’s worth of backstory—not only hers, but also those of her 43 classmates. There were ballet recital disasters, hilarious Outdoor Ed tales, first crushes, athletic championships, broken ankles, ad-libbed school plays, and even the tragic demise of one marshmallow igloo. I knew by heart which kids had food allergies, hogged the soccer balls, and frequented the headmaster’s office. All of it was a bank of stories and inside jokes that established and sealed our community. We were emotionally invested. However, when my son reached the fourth grade, it was painfully clear that he needed a different school environment than his sister, one that would allow him the space to dig into his own intellectual and emotional self and celebrate his individu- ality. Cathedral School for Boys was the only school that fit the criteria and the only school to which we applied. With the decision to change schools, we faced the fact that he would not build those bonds of longevity that our daughter had. A slew of questions raised the stakes of the unknown. I didn’t know how to be a “new” parent. I had spent ten years at my daughter’s school as a room parent, admissions docent, host family, and general go-to guide for incoming families, not the other way around. Would we blend in with this new school
Opening Day at Cathedral School for Boys
community? Would my son make friends among such an estab- lished, tight-knit class? Would these boys appreciate him for who he is? Would they come to learn that he has a contagious belly laugh and can rattle off baseball statistics faster than Harry Caray? Would they appreciate his backstory? Running late on the first day of school, the Wyman family was a mess. The tie refused to tie, the cowlick refused to lay low. I hustled my son through a blur of unfailingly polite eighth graders offering to usher him to his advisory. We bickered along the way, fussing with the knot of his tie with shaky fingers and a wave of nausea, until we arrived at the threshold of Judy Hilbrich Sheppard’s classroom. Without missing a beat, Ms. HS swooped my new kid into an exuberant mama-bear hug and lifted his chin to make eye contact. Then she reached out and pulled me—a perfect stranger—into her hug. And there it was: that magical element that is the heart of what Cathedral now means to me. It was a brief but profound introduction to the School’s balanced tone of age-appropriate expectations and immersive acceptance. Five minutes in, and we were embraced.
Tokyo, Japan
R&G: What advice do you have for other families who are inspired by this project and might want to try for their own version in their homes? MB: I have had a couple of friends let their kids loose on the walls since we did this. I told them to give them pencils first and to use acrylic paint as it’s easier to wipe off if someone wants to “erase” something quickly. I love Sharpies, but they won’t rub off so easily. But really my main piece of advice is to let the kids run with it. You’ll be surprised how much they enjoy it and how much you’ll love the view after it’s all done.
R&G: This project is certainly timely as we are now in the summer months and still in the midst of the pandemic. Summer will look different this year with lots of the normal activities—family trips, camps, classes—cancelled or structured differ- ently due to COVID-19. In your opinion, how can creativity help families alleviate boredom and turn disappointment around cancelled activities into an unexpected Silver Lining? MB: I’m positive that when I am bored, creativity can cure it in an instant. When I pull out the markers and paper, I don’t hear a word for hours. I think if you can
say, “what can I make or create today?” your possibilities are endless. Write a poem. Pick some flowers and arrange a bouquet. Make up a dance. Write a script for a puppet show. Design outfits for your dolls. Draw airplanes. Create a mission plan for your army men. Draw protest posters. Map out your dream vacation. Honestly, pretend like you’re Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus and make your kids the students. At the end of the day, they’ll remember the pretend adventure and you’ll hear a lot less whining of “I’m so bored!” (albeit, there’s nothing wrong with boredom!)
24 | CATHEDRAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS
FALL 2020 • RED & GOLD | 25
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online