Oh,my goodness! School started for Chico Unified on August 12 this year. It feels like the summer gets shorter and shorter. By the time we're in a vacation groove it seems we have to snap out of it and on to a schedule.
Amira started kindergarten on August 12 and Rex started 4th grade. Valerie came to her old school with me to say hi to old friends and hang out at the PTA coffee table on the first day of school. She's looking forward to starting 3rd grade at her new school (a Waldorf school) the more traditional Tuesday following Labor Day.
After the first week of school being in session, the realization that an extended summer break can be lonely when all your friends are back in school settled in on Valerie. Fortunately the "games teacher" from her new school was running a day camp at Bidwell Park for students in her position.
On Valerie's first day of camp, it was blazing hot. She ran out of water. She had a blast. That girl had a smile from ear to ear. She got to play games and swim in the creek all day. I thought for sure she'd want to run home as fast as possible. But she really wanted to hang in the park with her new found friends.
Meanwhile, Sleeping Beauty (also known as Amira around the house) was having quite an adjustment to getting up at 7am and to school on time at 8am. She trodded into kindergarten daily with 29 other students. Mrs. Potter-Jones, her teacher, is a fantastic teacher. Rex and Valerie each had her. Of course, when they went to kindergarten, class sizes didn't exceed 20 students. And both Rex and Valerie didn't seem to have a problem getting up in the morning.
As I watched Rex settle nicely into the fourth grade, Valerie excitedly looking forward to her camp and new school, I watched Amira try to socialize in her big class and struggle to get up each school day. I kept thinking of all the work sheets and homework Amira was going to get at Neal Dow versus the fairy tales, art, games, handwork and cooking at the kindergarten in a Waldorf School.
I began to think ... Rex only has a year or two left at Neal Dow. Amira is on the wait list for the Waldorf school to start first grade next year. Why am I forcing her to socialize at Neal Dow knowing I'm going to move her? Why didn't I just put her in the Waldorf school. I do not want to be running through three schools a day in a couple of years (Middle school, public school, Waldorf school). And I don't want Amira to keep having to make new friends and then be moved.
I panicked and called the Waldorf School to see if they might have a kindergarten spot open. Bingo, they did. It just opened. But I had to make my decision yesterday.
Now, the new guilt came over me. I needed to say good-bye to Mrs. Potter-Jones after looking forward to working in her class this year. Amira was going to be fortunate enough to gain a week of summer vacation and sleeping late before she had to get back into a routine. But then why did I put her through all the anxiety of starting at Neal Dow?
Hopefully Amira will be more flexible and forgiving than I am. At this moment I'm battling the feelings of relief (I really believe that Amira is going to benefit from the move on so many levels) and anxiety over having let down Mrs. Potter-Jones with basically no notice. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Potter-Jones is over it. And Amira woke up this morning with a smile on her face. I asked her how it felt to be back on vacation, she gave me two thumbs up!
No comments:
Post a Comment