First day and last day
Preschool 2011-2012
So the first year of preschool for Elisa ended in June. We barely made it back from California in time for her to go three whole days that month, but it was worth it. I like closure and the fact that we are switching schools next year just made it seem like this was it. We decided to take the summer off and not do anything school or camp related. It just felt like it would be a hassle to have a schedule and mess with the days we might be able to travel or do beach stuff or (admit it) just hang out at home in the A/C. So Elisa's time at Amazing Magic Beans is over and though we've talked a little bit about the other school in front of her, it hasn't been the right time yet to explain she's moving on. I don't think it benefits me or her to bring that up much before the first week of school. She's still too young to really understand time or the fact that school is not the entirety of life. So why get into it before I have to? If anything I think Elisa is a very social and adaptable kid and I have every faith that she will love her new school. But it's going to be an adjustment from spending every day with her best friends. So we'll see. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous about the transition. But again, I know once Elisa gets started at the new place, she'll find things to love.
Little Friends School is probably the oldest preschool in Sunnyside with a turn of the century building and lots of classrooms done up the way I remember school to look with colorful bulletin boards and art work all over the place. When we checked it out last summer as I was making my decisions about where to send her, the fact that they weren't taking kids who needed potty training was a big negative. I was too tired and pregnant to care if Elisa was potty trained by July when I wanted to start her, and that wasn't an issue at all with AMB. And the sound of a more progressive, creative environment was part of the appeal there too. Little Friends struck me as very traditional and a bit sedate, but in hindsight I think maybe that's more the direction I should have gone. I think with AMB I found out I wasn't as crunchy as I thought. Maybe I like structure and organization and quiet more than I realized. And so what? I mean AMB definitely has a scene all its own, and it has been the overwhelming choice of our playgroup kids. But even in that, I had to watch Elisa get moved to the upper classroom without her friends only to have her moved back down in March after the year was well under way for reasons I won't go into here. Any other kid would have probably protested, but not Elisa. She took that change in stride and because of it, I did too. But overall, I was starting to doubt that another year of this environment would prepare her for Kindergarten in the public system. All the talk of child-led activities is great if kids try new things and learn to participate in the group, but with Elisa it seemed like she was too shy or too stubborn to do things she wasn't keen on. And the parent-teacher conferences only reinforced that my outgoing, social girl was not being herself at school. I was hearing about another kid and one I didn't know how to reconcile with the daughter I know like the back of my hand.
So yes, this year has been both wonderful to see Elisa off enjoying herself without us, but frustrating because I wonder if the type of school wasn't the best for her. Coincidentally, I came across an article on a mom blog I read that was about whether "Montessori is right for your child" and so much of what it said reinforced my thoughts about Elisa at AMB. While I have no doubt that the teachers and director there are passionate about their school, the day-to-day activities were all blending together and Elisa rarely seemed to be trying different pursuits. I don't know if it was a matter of time because she only went 3 half days, but I don't have one single scrap of paper that I can keep from this year as a memento from Elisa's first year of preschool. Nothing. Even the family book that was started at the beginning to journal with her teacher petered out. There might have been plans and she just didn't cooperate. Who knows. In the end, there was a lot of talk about a lot of things, and very little output. But I do know that Elisa had fun. And at 3, I think that's all that matters. I know this might all sound a bit harsh and really, my only goal in writing this is to commit it to memory that we had our ups and downs with school. Just like life. It's a bit of a gamble to try for something new, but I think it's worth it to give it a shot. And economically, the fact that Little Friends offers a subsidized Universal Pre-K (UPK) program plus extended hours means that I end up paying only for 1 1/2 hours a day when she'll be there for 4. It works out to half the cost which is huge considering I hope to have another year looking after these girls at home. So that's the full deal. I know talking about school brings up so many emotions and really they all touch on what we value. And sometimes we don't even know what that is until we see the opposite. But we all want what's best for our kids. Hopefully, I'm getting closer to what's best for Elisa. Time will tell.
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