It was a magical night! Over 300 people, 30 or so current or former teachers and staff, oodles of boxes, 50 lbs of cornstarch, and 50 years’ worth of play, all together to celebrate the 50th year of SYC.
What made it all real – the years of dedication, experience and love in this place – was gathering with this amazing group of people and remembering those who weren’t able to be with us. SYC is our people – our teachers who often commit decades of their lives to the children and families at SYC, and those families who trust us again and again with their precious children. Each of us who has taught or worked at SYC can attest to how SYC becomes a part of you, affecting how you deal with the joys and sorrows of life, how you relate to those you love and those you disagree with, and how you see your place in the world. Many of us learn to accept our own difficult feelings in the same way that the children learn that it’s okay to be mad, sad, or frutrated. We learn to increase communication in times of conflict rather than turning away. We learn to let loose and play in a way that we might have forgotten since we were children ourselves.
SYC families, past and current, are also our people, the ones who come to us year after year, generation after generation, to give their children a place where they can play, learn to be together, and grow into who they are. Parents and caregivers bring us their questions, their worries, their doubts and trust us to hold them closely, with love and compassion. They know that we understand the challenges of being the parent you want to be, and that we, too, have made mistakes, struggled through, and learned.
We strive to live up to the expectations we have for our children, to be our best selves, knowing that we will make mistakes along the way. As we tell the children, everyone makes mistakes, Then we try again.
Here’s to making mistakes, getting into conflicts, having hard feeling, and playing. For the next 50 years.
…Amy Rudawsky and Susan Roscigno, SYC Co-Directors
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