The Graduate. June 10, 2020

We had our very bittersweet 8th grade graduation ceremony tonight on Zoom. I was a lot more tearful last night at the car parade, seeing everyone in person. Tonight was very special and very sweet. PJA has been a magical place for Lavi. He is the one person on this planet who actually loved middle school. What a weirdo. I am so proud of our Radically Kind son. He blows my mind. How that kid can love school so much is miraculous. He’s the best. He looks so fucking grown up in these photos. I can’t stand it.

We got him a new phone for his graduation. He’s psyched. Of course - anything tech, just like his old dad.

We just ate chocolate graduation cake. So much chocolate! I hope I can fall asleep tonight.

The story of how we got to PJA:

Lavi went to kindergarten at our neighborhood school in North Portland called Chief Joseph Elementary School. It had a really good reputation, a huge amount of parent involvement, and it was a sweet little school that we could walk to. It was just around the corner from the Greeley house, on the other side of the park. Lavi has always been a very quiet person, he was then and he still is now. There were a lot of kids in his kindergarten class, perhaps around 30. His teacher was young and kind. Towards the end of the year, when we had a parent-teacher conference, I had this feeling in my gut that the teacher had no idea who Lavi was. I knew she knew who he was, but she did not really know him. I don’t blame her, there were so many kids in the class and Lavi was such a quiet and good student. I am sure he quietly did his work and she did not have to interact with him very much. I knew this was not good enough and I knew I was going to fight for Lavi. I did not know what we were going to do, but I knew I had to do something.

I had heard about PJA. I called the school and we scheduled our tour. We arrived and the most wonderful woman met at us the front door. Inge. We loved her from the moment we met her. She was so warm and welcoming. We also met the principal, Merrill. I love Merrill. So. Much. She is so special. She told us she also has a son named Lavi. Our heart connection with Merrill started from that moment. Then, we took the tour and everyone seemed so happy. The kids. The teachers. The faculty. I remember thinking that it was kind of weird. That perhaps they were putting on a show for the family on tour. We fell in love with PJA and I knew that we had to make it work. Whatever we needed to do, I was willing to do it. It felt like home to me and I wanted my boys to be able to go to this beautiful school. I learned later that the smiles and happiness were not fake. That’s how things really are at PJA, for the most part. When things get tough, people come together and support each other. Sometimes there are tears. But there is always love.

I thank the universe and the stars that Lavi got to go to PJA. When we learned that he has dyslexia, our school supported Lavi in every way. Lavi’s dyslexia is severe. He struggles with reading always. Always. I cannot imagine what that feels like. Every single class is that much more difficult for him. And yet, he perseveres! He works so fucking hard. My heart breaks for him, but my heart also feels boundless when I think of Lavi. He thrives. He loves school. This is one of the miracles of Lavi. His teachers always tell us what a pleasure it is to work with him. His team at PJA was absolutely incredible and we will be forever grateful to them. They helped us get Lavi in to Edison High School. Edison is one of the things that is helping me get through this difficult time. Knowing that Lavi got in and he will get the kind of education that he needs helps me get through every single day.

Hooray for LAVI!!! Radical kindness.

puh-puh-puh