School Days

Buby will start preschool in the fall. Real preschool... the kind where I leave and he has a life without me. At least for a few hours. I've avoided the topic here, even though it consumes me at times. It's just too broad. I have A LOT of feelings about early education and want to see the gamut of options before My Sweets + I make up our minds on where to send Buby.

Yesterday the Little Dude + I had a WONDERFUL visit at yet another Montessori school {shown}. Of all the schools we've seen so far--public, private, Waldorf, Montessori--this one is probably the best fit for Buby. An environment well suited to his particular style of learning. The classrooms are calm, peaceful, clean, spacious, and organized. {You'd hope these are common denominators everywhere, but I've been surprised at many turns.} There were no tantrums or raising voices to get kids into a line or a circle on the floor. No frustration or rushing or fighting over plastic toys. Most of the 3-5 year olds we saw were working on their own independent projects or "assignments" with teachers walking around to offer one-on-one guidance. The children seemed happy to be there, comfy, and really into the classwork, be it geography, math, science, art, letters, or animal life. Buby made himself at home. I met some other parents and just observed all the little minds at work.

The philosophy of this school--though noncompetitive at its core--offers opportunities to thrive in so many different areas. They even expose our little sponges to Japanese and Spanish in their second year, believing they'll absorb things just from being around them. No pressure. I've always felt that way. From what I see, the school emphasizes the process more than the product of learning in order to create lifetime learners. It sort of nurtures the child's spirit and lets him or her work at their own pace and excel at what they love. The teacher will introduce new materials as current materials are mastered, to ensure success rather than frustration. Being kind and respectful is as important as learning numbers. Learning to prepare a simple snack and clean up afterward as important as learning languages. Mutual respect is key.

So many preschools fall into extremes. Either nothing BUT pure socialization {which isn't our main priority, since we've been socializing Buby in classes since he was 6 months old}, too hardcore academia--in my opinion--for this age group, or too alternative for me {all nature and imaginative play and not enough foundation for the real world}. This one was a nice mix. Who knows if Buby will go back in September. It isn't exactly convenient to home, and the schedule isn't as conducive with a second baby on the way. But it was a good day. We have a few more to visit, and we're hoping those go nearly as well. Anyway, so aside from playtime, appointments and deadlines, that's where my brain has been these past few days. I promise to get back to my short posts.