We're happy to report that Andrew L-O-V-E-S his new school. The first week was a little rocky as he slowly realized that this new arrangement is permanent. On his first day, he was excited to get to school. But, by the end of the week, he was protesting heartily and refusing to put on his shoes. His biggest hurdle was that many of the other kids in his class cried all day, which stressed him out. His teacher said that Andrew asked her why all the kids were crying and whether he could go to another classroom.
Luckily, all the tears have dried up and the class has settled in nicely. Up until last week, however, Andrew continued to protest every morning--making us feel guilty. But the situation became clear during the third week of school when Andrew was home sick for one day. He asked repeatedly if he could go to school. So Sue Ann figures the protesting isn't heartfelt, but just part of our morning routine. Once we pull up to the drop-off spot, he greets the teachers with a big smile and can hardly wait to get out of his carseat.
Mommy and Daddy are excited about Andrew's new school because it's more structured and learning is more directed than the daycare he was in previously. Andrew is a little less excited by this because it means fewer toys in the classroom (and their toys are Montessori "materials," which means, sometimes, they don't look like toys). When Sue Ann picks him up in the afternoon, he immediately wants to go home and see his trucks. Unless, of course, there's a promise of chocolate milk after we run a quick errand . . .
Despite the lack of toys in his new classroom, Andrew loves that his new school has a pony, 2 goats and some chickens. He also loves the Tumblebus. The Tumblebus is a full-size school bus that has been gutted and converted into a traveling gymnastics room. It comes to Escuela Montessori once a week and Andrew raves about it for days. In fact, we might get the Tumblebus as the main attraction at his birthday party in January.
Now that both kids have settled into their new environments, Mommy and Daddy can breathe a little easier. We didn't realize it would be so hard for us, too. These kids certainly know how to push our guilt buttons!
