Three steps towards the door
When you focus most of your energy on 1st) keeping two very young and handsome boys and alive and 2nd) keeping your house just clean enough that CPS won't take said boys away, it's easy to live only in the here and now and think little of the future. Sure, we hear that AnthonyCarlos go to preschool, but that doesn't mean a school-going disease could actually infect my little ones in my lifetime. They just stay in midget form eternally. That's what I read on the release form at the hospital, right?
Turns out I was drugged then, and Dada and I have since decided it would be a good thing for Isaac to go to preschool next year (inserting big Mama-Sniff here). Tuesday I took my precious Elder Blondie, with his fatty blondie brother in tow, to visit one that comes highly recommended from the locals. This preschool has several great things going for it. The three-year-old program meets only twice a week in the mornings, which would be ideal for us -- not too much school, but not too little, and a niiiiiiice little break for the Mommy (and her Jakey). It is very close to Dada's work, which means that we could likely split pick-up duties. Isaac would die to see more of his beloved Dada during the day. Also, AnthonyCarlos go there, and Carlos may even be in Isaac's class next year, which would certainly be cute. And lastly, they don't require their kids, even the 3-year-olds, to be potty trained. Not that we are ditching that process entirely for now because Mommy is tired of fighting Mister-I-Will-Pee-In-My-Dipe-So-Help-Me-God, no, no way! Never!
We had an appointment with a school director first thing in the morning, and, as is our way, we arrived 10 minutes late. Currently, it boggles my mind how moms actually make this "school" thing work, getting your kiddos breakfasted, dressed, and to a location on time most days of the week. Perhaps we will be more advanced at this sort of skill in a year's time. But I digress -- the school representative was ready to go, and seemed to care much more about the insane cuteness of Jakey's faux varsity letter jacket than our lateness. She told us it would take about 30 minutes to show us the each of the three three-year-old classrooms. What she really meant is "Let's take your Isaac and set him loose with the toys/critters/playdoh/sand tables in each classroom for ten minutes, shall we?"
I'm so glad this school happened to be our first school visit, because it was the bomb. Each room was filled to the brim with fun and mentally engaging toys, with paints and easels, with playdoh, with plants, with calendars, pictures, decorations, letters, numbers, shapes. Each room had its own critter or two, a gerbil or guinea pig. The kids were given "jobs" every day, like feeding the critter or watering the plant or getting the snacks. Almost the entire day is free play, assisted by the teachers, with some time for group activities like a craft or song or story-time, and a half-hour for recess (out of a 2-1/2 hour day). And while the "curriculum" is designed to challenge them a little (in one classroom, they were learning about how many days there were in the month of November), it's not completely above their heads, and also not so dumbed down as to be boring.
This tour was an important step for me, too, because I saw how completely engaged and at-home Isaac looked in the classroom. He's a natural for school, and it was a moving experience to see him work. He's such a sociable guy, and, being of above-average stature for his size, he blended in so well that there were many times I had to look hard to find him. At first he'd come to ask me "What's that guy doing?", but after a time, he'd ask the teachers, who were as happy to entertain his questions as if he were a student. He was also incredibly well-behaved. We had a quick talk before leaving the car about how we were going to school, but that this was not his school yet and he needed to stay with Mommy, and by golly if the feller didn't. When it was time to leave a room, he came right with me. He threatened to run off once into a gym, but I called him back and back he came. Toward the end of our tour, our guide praised him directly, "Isaac, you are so good at obeying your Mommy." He even played by himself in the director's office (with the director's Sesame Street playhouse) while I changed Jacob's diaper in the bathroom next door.
We are considering other preschools, and it's not a given that we'll get into this one because of it's total weirdo admissions policy, but I would be so happy if this was it for him. I could really see him going there and learning right away that school can be, above all, fun.
Turns out I was drugged then, and Dada and I have since decided it would be a good thing for Isaac to go to preschool next year (inserting big Mama-Sniff here). Tuesday I took my precious Elder Blondie, with his fatty blondie brother in tow, to visit one that comes highly recommended from the locals. This preschool has several great things going for it. The three-year-old program meets only twice a week in the mornings, which would be ideal for us -- not too much school, but not too little, and a niiiiiiice little break for the Mommy (and her Jakey). It is very close to Dada's work, which means that we could likely split pick-up duties. Isaac would die to see more of his beloved Dada during the day. Also, AnthonyCarlos go there, and Carlos may even be in Isaac's class next year, which would certainly be cute. And lastly, they don't require their kids, even the 3-year-olds, to be potty trained. Not that we are ditching that process entirely for now because Mommy is tired of fighting Mister-I-Will-Pee-In-My-Dipe-So-Help-Me-God, no, no way! Never!
We had an appointment with a school director first thing in the morning, and, as is our way, we arrived 10 minutes late. Currently, it boggles my mind how moms actually make this "school" thing work, getting your kiddos breakfasted, dressed, and to a location on time most days of the week. Perhaps we will be more advanced at this sort of skill in a year's time. But I digress -- the school representative was ready to go, and seemed to care much more about the insane cuteness of Jakey's faux varsity letter jacket than our lateness. She told us it would take about 30 minutes to show us the each of the three three-year-old classrooms. What she really meant is "Let's take your Isaac and set him loose with the toys/critters/playdoh/sand tables in each classroom for ten minutes, shall we?"
I'm so glad this school happened to be our first school visit, because it was the bomb. Each room was filled to the brim with fun and mentally engaging toys, with paints and easels, with playdoh, with plants, with calendars, pictures, decorations, letters, numbers, shapes. Each room had its own critter or two, a gerbil or guinea pig. The kids were given "jobs" every day, like feeding the critter or watering the plant or getting the snacks. Almost the entire day is free play, assisted by the teachers, with some time for group activities like a craft or song or story-time, and a half-hour for recess (out of a 2-1/2 hour day). And while the "curriculum" is designed to challenge them a little (in one classroom, they were learning about how many days there were in the month of November), it's not completely above their heads, and also not so dumbed down as to be boring.
This tour was an important step for me, too, because I saw how completely engaged and at-home Isaac looked in the classroom. He's a natural for school, and it was a moving experience to see him work. He's such a sociable guy, and, being of above-average stature for his size, he blended in so well that there were many times I had to look hard to find him. At first he'd come to ask me "What's that guy doing?", but after a time, he'd ask the teachers, who were as happy to entertain his questions as if he were a student. He was also incredibly well-behaved. We had a quick talk before leaving the car about how we were going to school, but that this was not his school yet and he needed to stay with Mommy, and by golly if the feller didn't. When it was time to leave a room, he came right with me. He threatened to run off once into a gym, but I called him back and back he came. Toward the end of our tour, our guide praised him directly, "Isaac, you are so good at obeying your Mommy." He even played by himself in the director's office (with the director's Sesame Street playhouse) while I changed Jacob's diaper in the bathroom next door.
We are considering other preschools, and it's not a given that we'll get into this one because of it's total weirdo admissions policy, but I would be so happy if this was it for him. I could really see him going there and learning right away that school can be, above all, fun.
posted by Claire at 9:42 PM
3 Comments:
I'm glad he had such a good experience. And that you did too, of course.
What is the wackiness of the admissions policy? It's preschool!
Well, since you asked... (no SATs or anything required, don't worry)
This one is church-run and, like other church-run preschools in our area, operates firstly to serve church members and secondly to serve the community. They also have a 2-1/2-year-olds class. SO: the 3-year-olds classes is filled according to several priorities. 1st -- the already-enrolled 2-1/2-year-olds who want to move up are given spots. 2nd -- church members and siblings of kids already in the program are given spots. Very last -- remaining open spots are given to the community. The director we toured with said that they usually have a classroom's worth of spots (about 12) to offer to the public.
All of these spots are given on a first-come, first-served basis. They have an enrollment day; you show up and stand in line; if you happen to get there early enough you get in. If not, then the spots fill up and you must look elsewhere for your preschool needs.
I joked with my other mommy friends that I should treat it like rock-concert tickets and sleep on the sidewalk outside the church the night before enrollment day.
claire,
Don't kid yourself- it is like getting tickets to a rock concert! (or buying a video gaming system) When we moved to Champaign- Liz went to a great preschool where we went to church so no line-waiting there but her younger brother Steve went to a "mother's morning out" drop in center that another church in town runs- very progressive, cool activities...and you could use it as much or as little as you liked- just paid by the session. Anyhow- to shorten the story, on new parent enrollment day, my mommy friends and I arrived at 5:30am for the 8:00am start- and there was already a line (-: 20 years later the center is still there and still the enrollment day is an early morning wake-up call for mommies of little ones. (-:
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