Ok, So, now that Paris has had her 1st school visit, I am freaking out. FREAKING OUT!!!
I had been ok, but then of course Mike came with me and Paris, and the whole time was sitting there with this look on his face like he'd suddenly just realised the whole gravity of the situation of sending our girl to school in just under 2 weeks time.... and now that's rubbed off on me.
So go ahead, hurry up and tell me this is normal - I just feel so scared for her!!
This is what i am worried about in the next few weeks for my girl.
Paris is a slow to warm kind of girl. and i know - it was only her 1st school visit today - but off at playtime she went and went straight for the junglegym - which was fine - she was happy etc.
However she was all alone. The other kids in the class just went off and the girls kinda buddied up and really (i watched them) wandered around aimlessly not really playing. I am worried that either 1) Paris is going to do her own thing - which is fine - but won't have mates to play with, or 2) go with the girls in her class but spend her time just wandering instead of doing what she loves - which is playing on junglegyms etc.
Also, I know things will change as she gets to know them, but right now her mates in the class are 3 boys that were at daycare with her until they went to school last term. - Now i don't mind her being mates with them, she's always been mates with them - but i don't want that to interfere with her making new friends - especially as.. i know this is a wicked generalisation.. boys do tend to do a few more silly things, and i worry that because she knows them more - she'll try to fit in with them again and do the silly stuff too.
With the visit, she was fine in terms of coping - knew things - was clearer with her writing and letter formation than alot of the other kids, and i am glad we have done simple reading and words and sounding things out with her. But It just feels so scarey, so so scarey. She had been so excited - and once into the classroom - which is one of the older pre-fab ones as they have had a huge influx of newbies of late - her face kinda dropped - she looked lost and worried and just totally un-impressed with the whole thing... I worry this will rub off and affect her view and excitement to school and spark in terms of learning etc.
The other thing mike has said is, yes, because it's a public school - and up until now she had been at a new, well-funded early education centre, with children from similar backgrounds, with simlar-minded parents. - We are now putting her into public school, where there is all of a sudden a HUGE diversity of situations, and she'll be subjected to other kids that come from.... - less fortunate situations. (please don't get offended anyone it's not meant to sound hoity... at all) And be subjected and exposed to well, some less than wonderful behaviours, attitudes etc. I definately don't want to shelter her her whole life, i just worry about plunging her head first into such a very different world from which she is used to - remembering that her well-equiped, wonderfully diverse daycare centre has been her 2nd home since 11 mths of age. She is used to having alot of opportunities that most kids at other centres would probably not have - just because she is at one that is tied in with a learning institute that is truely wonderful.
I became very aware of (well, remembered ) about the fact that unfortunately there are some parents who don't really care about their kids learning etc/appearance/nutrition - all that stuff that until now we have not had to worry about - as i said - the parents were all very like-minded and hands-on and involved in the centre and their kids etc.
I got home and both me and mike agreed that well - even if she went to the private girls school here in palmy - that it wouldn't guarantee her a better learning experience and that we don't want her to grow up elitist, and well - public schooling didn't harm us... We do know that looking at it now - the private school would have been more similar in environment and teaching etc to what she is used to. I wonder if this will make a difference.
We want her to be encouraged to learn. I definately don't think she needs the best of the best, and i don't think that fancier newer stuff in the classroom will change her journey as much. It is more the environment - the attitude, the opportunities - I think now that maybe having gone for something more similar to the start she has already had - may have been more... hhhhmmm, beneficial to her adjustment .
I just worry. I am a worrier.
Tell me this is normal for mums to go thru before their baby goes to school - what have others done?
Should we have gone for the private school or should i suck it up and stop being such a sooky-la-la.
put it down to freaking out ...
What do you think.
At the very end of the day - mike shares all these attitudes - we have spent the night nutting out our worries and reminding ourselves that it was 1 visit, it's a new situation, and she was fine - and seemed happy enough - (given that it WAS a new situation.. which she doesn't warm to quickly generally).
I guess - i spose, that if it all turns reallllllly bad that private schooling might be a move we could make - if it's really affecting her. But really i think it's us that is just being silly.
She'll be fine right?
Edited by mum2paris
ARGH! school - worries, argh???!!!!
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Thank you.
she will be fine.... and so will you eventually 
) but one of the first things I noticed when we went for the school visit was that the stuff they were learning was waaaay too basic for Maya. She'd had 2 years of Montessori education and went from that into a classroom with kids who had a huge range of ECE experiences, from public kindy, playcentre, Montessori to nothing at all. But the school are pretty onto it, she moved up to year one fairly quickly and they do regular reading assessments etc. to make sure they are setting them appropriate work.
(02/01/06)
