Jeremy moved from Columbus, Nebraska, to Lincoln for second grade. I moved from Augusta, Georgia, to Fresno, California, halfway through second. And Livia Raine continues the tradition by moving across town at the start of her second grade year.

I’d argue she has the easiest transition of all. And yet, as her mother who knows how hard transitions are for her, I am grateful for a small move rather than a big one.

Last night we took our first steps through Livia’s new school and the differences between two elementary schools in the same city were pretty obvious to me (though I don’t think Livia noticed them much).

Size. This school is big, almost 200 more students than the last one. Parents and children were flooding into the halls and, as another mom pointed out to me, moms and dads were in attendance.

Color. There was a lot of white goin’ on last night. Liv would say peach, or pink if you’re talking about her dad. The rest of us see it as white. White white white. Now, I like white people just fine but this change is the hardest one for me. And yes, I know it’s not even *my* school so whatever. Our last school was such a mix of ethnic backgrounds—it was rich in that sense—and this new place is quite homogenous. I’ll adjust to it eventually, but you can bet I’ll be on the lookout for diversity in the meantime.

Parents. Parental involvement in this new school is huge. Everywhere I turned last night I was confronted with a sign-up sheet for something. Sign-up for an email list (or three, I really think I signed up in three different places). Sign-up to volunteer in this classroom or that. Sign-up for fall conferences. And spring. And here’s a sticky note for a reminder because goodness knows you won’t remember that spring conference date once you leave the room. I’ve heard the PTO is really active (which scares me a little) and I’ve been given notice that fundraising here is alive and well. Friends, you’ve been warned. Come to me—I mean LIVIA, cough cough—for all your wrapping paper needs this fall. We’ll hook you up.

No matter where you go, some things are the same. Academics and school staff. All across this town there are professionals who go to work each day for the sake of you and your kid. I cannot express how much I value the employees of the Lincoln Public School system and how grateful I am for the work they do. Not only did I graduate from LPS (Lincoln Southeast Class of ’96, hello!) but I’ve also had great interactions as a parent with the Early Childhood Intervention folks and the staff of Livia’s first elementary school. I have been surprised time and time again how much these professionals care for my child and how committed they are to her success as a student. One thing is clear to me: we’re all in this together. And I couldn’t be more pleased.

So here we go, diving headfirst into the 2012-2013 school year, training little people to love learning. It doesn’t get better than that.