Some of the Greek mythology trading cards, depicting Cerberus, Hermes and Hades, that Anthony made in school for while studying traditional literature.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
The end has kind of snuck up on us.
But there’s no denying it — in 76 days, we’ll no longer have an elementary school student.
Anthony has reached the final quarter of his fourth-grade year. In just under three months, he’ll be done walking the halls he’s called home.
As with most things I’ve found as I get older, it seems unbelievable. What happened to the scared little kid who didn’t want to leave for the first day of kindergarten? That seems like it was just the other day.
Still, there will be time to reminisce and reflect on the past five years; that’s a column for another day.
For the time being, there is work to be done. Much to Anthony’s chagrin, we have 11 weeks of math quizzes, spelling tests, reading assignments and more to complete.
But he also has some really cool things that he’s working on or that’s coming up that just reinforces how lucky he’s been this year and how unique his last year of elementary school has been.
At one point during our morning commute last week, Anthony filled me in on a unit they were working in reading. The class was focused on classic Greek mythology. They students learned about Zeus, Poseidon, Athena and more of the gods from Greek myths.
Then, they had an assignment: make trading cards for six figures from mythology.
This was right in Anthony’s wheelhouse. Not only did he get to learn about legendary figures, but got to flex his artistic side as well. He chose a mix of some of the mythological biggies (Zeus tossing a lightning bolt, a tropical-colored Poseidon wielding a trident) and some unexpected depictions. His Hades is surrounded by fire and ghosts. Hermes wears a winged helmet against a field of gold.
All of them were more than impressive. My favorite, though, was Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld with glowing red eyes and jagged cave features.
The mythology unit has been part of a larger look at traditional literature. Their assignment for this week: to study and rehearse a short play, based on folklore or other traditional sources.
Anthony formed a troupe with his buddies, and they chose a play called “Tangled Up Feet” from Mexico. The story revolved around a group of people who wake up one morning to find their feet have become all tangled up — then going into the hi-jinks that ensues.
Then the kids will each perform their short 15-minute performance for a second-grade class in the school.
Anthony was really excited; he’s been in class with a few of the kids in the group for years now, and they get to go back and perform in the same classroom with the same teacher they had in second grade.
“We get to go back and do our play Monday for Mrs. Hogan!” he explained to me.
That’s likely just the start of the fun things Anthony’s class will get to do as the school year — and his elementary school career — wind down. He already told me about an alphabet-themed countdown on the last 26 days of the school year. A field trip to Conner Prairie that was canceled following January’s big snowstorm is rescheduled for early May.
Sure, there are dreaded standardized tests to take, and plenty of reading assignments, projects and tests to take in the coming weeks. There will be stressful evenings doing homework and rushed mornings making sure he has everything he needs.
Anthony will probably hope to rush through all of this stuff as fast as he can, with summer vacation within sight. And I understand that — I was always looking forward to the next fun thing as a kid, and I’m kind of like that as adult.
But I’m going to try and relish these last few months of school. Next year will be a new routine, new responsibilities, new challenges.
I want to enjoy these last few pages of Anthony’s elementary school story before we start a new chapter.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to editorial@therepublic.com
